Another Man's Treasure
by TayMor
Summary: When Hinata is rescued by Sasuke and Naruto, three things happen. She falls for Naruto, Naruto falls for her, and Sasuke sees her as an escape from an undesirable fate. When Hinata and Naruto's love for each other interferes with Sasuke's plans, he resorts to drastic measures; to steal another man's treasure, but he may get more than he bargained for! Stolen kisses and ab flashes!
1. Saved

**Hey again, people! I bring you more SasuHina angsty moments! I was reading a really generic chick lit, when I came upon the idea for this story... I just wanted something different, you know! I hope you guys like!**

* * *

Hinata really should have stayed at the restaurant. She really should have at least brought someone along with her when she stormed outside. She really should have at least brought her pepper spray. She really should have not worn such high heels. She really should have watched where she was going... If she had done all those things she really should have done, she really would not have been in this position.

To define 'this position', Hinata was pressed up against a wall between two men, one man's hand over her mouth, a knife at her throat, and both men's hands touching places she really wished they wouldn't... yes... she was going to be raped, and there was nothing she could do about it. If they would rape her quietly, it wouldn't even be so terrifying, but the things they were saying as they touched her... the things they were promising to do turned her stomach... and one of them had a knife, so screaming was not an option.

Hinata really would have struggled if not for that knife and the promise to kill her if she so much as screamed. Her knees were shaking and her heart was racing in her chest. The alley the men had pulled her into was strewn with garbage and smelled worse than it looked. It was also shrouded in shadows that would make it difficult for passers-by to notice anything happening in it. Hinata could hear footsteps on the sidewalk near the alleyway, and soft masculine conversation and laughter.

_'Please look in here, please notice what is happening,'_ Hinata begged mentally. The men stilled, waiting for the passers-by to move on before they continued. They were taking inordinately long to move on.

"I'm just saying, baka, that she might be someone you actually want to meet," one of them said. It sounded like they had stopped walking. Hinata heard a muffled curse.

"You're only saying that because you're not the one in my position," the other male replied.

"You forget that I'm not single." The first male gave a low chuckle.

"And she worked damned hard to make it so. I don't envy you, man." Hinata clenched her teeth. Couldn't they just look in the alley? Would it be so hard? Apparently she was not the only one getting impatient either, because one of the men slipped his hand between her legs. Hinata squeaked.

"Yeah, she sure di-" The second man paused, cutting his sentence short. "Did you hear that?" Hinata could hear a shuffle from the street. The man with his hand over her mouth tightened his grip and whispered a curse.

"Hear what?" the first male passer-by said.

"I thought I heard a woman squeal or whatever you may call it." There was a moment of silence.

"Dude it was probably just a rat."

"It was not," the second guy said, scoffing. "I know what a woman sounds like."

Hinata could almost picture the first guy wiggling his eyebrows when he said, "Oh, I bet you do." The footsteps sounded again, coming closer to the alley. Hinata's heart skipped a beat. She risked her own death by squeaking again.

"There, I heard it again!" the second guy exclaimed, and the footsteps began sounding closer together as the men ran over to the alley. Hinata squeezed her eyes shut when the knife pressed against her throat hard enough to draw blood. Hinata didn't know what happened - her eyes were squeezed shut - but there was the sound of flesh meeting flesh, the crack of bone, and manly grunts and exclamations, and then she was lifted into the air. She chanced a glance at the man whose arms she was in, and her heart gave a funny beat.  
Concerned eyes of the bluest blue met her grey ones, and the streetlights cast their orange glow over his light blonde hair. Equally blonde eyebrows were furrowed on his forehead, and Hinata could feel the bulging muscles in his arms …. which yes, she was currently in. Her rescuer was impossibly good looking, in her estimation. His companion was nowhere to be seen, however.

The hot blonde carried Hinata across the street and rested her gently on the ground.

"Are you alright? Can you stand?" he asked worriedly, his eyes roving over her. Hinata tried to say she was fine, but when her mouth opened, nothing came out, so she nodded instead. She knew her face must be totally red by now. The man let go of her, and her knees promptly gave out. But not to worry. His arms wound back around her immediately to steady her. Hinata felt her face heat up even more.

"S-sorry," she stuttered, blinking rapidly.

"It's alright," he said, his slightly raspy voice sending shivers down her spine. "You're bleeding," he stated. "Here, lean against this car... let me take care of that," he said softly, leaning her back against the side of a car. Hinata would have needed time to prepare herself if she'd known what her rescuer was about to do. As it turned out, she was very unprepared... she felt her face growing alarmingly hot as her rescuer stepped back and reached for the hem of his shirt.

Hinata's eyelids drooped slightly, and her vision slowed to slow motion. The yellow glow of the streetlights eased with velvet smoothness over the tanned abdomen of her blonde rescuer as he lifted the hem of his shirt. Centimetre by centimetre of his ripped abs was revealed to her as he pulled the hem of his shirt over his torso, his back arching a little as he pulled the shirt over his head. Hinata's eyes took in the tiny hairs on his skin, accentuated by the yellow glow of the streetlights, the more prominent hairs at the base of his abdomen that disappeared into his low-rise jeans, the sink of his navel in between his abs, the rippling muscles on his flat stomach and impressive pecs... She felt her jaw drop a little when he tugged the shirt over his head and shook out his blonde hair.  
She blinked slowly when he dropped his arms and his muscles rolled and shifted back to a relaxed position, and then he was pressing his shirt to her neck, his head bent close enough to her that she could hear his breathing and smell his hair and skin... and _oooh_ did he smell good! Hinata drew in a shaky breath that rippled through her chest.

"Don't worry," her blonde rescuer said, his voice gentle. "I'm not gonna hurt you." That was the least of Hinata's concerns, if she was going to be honest with herself. She just felt that this hot blonde was not someone to fear.

* * *

She was scared of him. It was a fear Naruto could understand, however, because of what had just happened to her. He tried to be as gentle as possible while dabbing at her throat. He hadn't even believed Sasuke when he had thought he'd heard something in the alley. He shuddered to think of what could have happened to this girl had Sasuke's ears not been as sharp as they were.

He hadn't failed to notice how utterly gorgeous the woman was, either. He forced himself, however, not to think about it, because it was just sick to think thoughts he would normally think when faced with a girl like this one after what happened to her. To think of how scared she must have been, a knife to her throat and two men assaulting her... Naruto felt anger streak hotly through his veins. Men could be such sick dogs.

Another shaky breath streaked through the girl, her ... ahem... well endowed chest heaving. Naruto reigned in his thoughts and muttered another gentle reminder that he wouldn't hurt her.

"Did they... did they hurt you ... apart from your neck?" he asked, concern warring with his anger.

Knowing Sasuke, those men would be feeling plenty sorry they'd touched Hinata by now... and Sasuke was taking a while to come back, so that meant they were probably getting the beating of their lives. Sasuke had put people in the hospital with his blind anger before, so now that he had a reason to beat up on someone, legitimately, Naruto shuddered to think what he was in that dark alleyway doing.

The girl shook her head 'no' and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

"I still think we should take you to the hospital to get checked out," he said, his hands smoothing over the incredibly silky hair at the side of her head.

She smelled like gentle, soft flowers. Whichever perfume she was wearing, judging from the rest of her apparel, it was expensive. Another reason for him to peel his mind away from where it was heading. Poor guys like him had no place even looking at girls like her, who simply screamed class.

"A-ano... n-no... I don't n-need to g-go to the hospital," she stammered nervously. Naruto could have kicked himself. He must have frightened her, acted too fast or something.

"Hey, hey," he immediately tried to soothe her, making eye contact with her. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Let me take you to the hospital, just to make sure that you're really alright," he pleaded, holding her head gently in his hands and looking into her grey eyes. The poor thing was frightened and in shock it seemed. She shook her head no again.

"N-no h-hospital," she stuttered again, her whole face red.

"Don't be afraid, or embarrassed. You couldn't help what happened to you," he soothed. "You have to be checked ou-" His words were cut short when she fainted dead away in his arms. He stared dumbly at her, blinking maybe three times before what happened clicked. "Oh, shit."

* * *

Sasuke felt a vague satisfaction with every punch he landed on the girl's assailants. He'd caught a glimpse of her exceptional beauty as he'd pulled the men off her. His fists were bloody and bruised, but he kept pounding away at the two would be rapists. It did not matter to him that he was taking out his frustration with his parents on the two men.

_'What makes them think I want to get married?'_ Sasuke thought, scowling. He landed another punch on the already stunned man, sending a savage kick at the other man that tried to take him from behind. _'I've just started living! I have a girlfriend, damn it!' _he raged mentally. He didn't really love Sakura, or anything, but she had tried damned hard to get his attention, so why not stay with her for a little? His parents didn't take into consideration the fact that Sasuke didn't want to get married because of some business deal or other. That was just... outdated! Apparently, however, his parents were stuck in the old traditional regime. This was all Itachi's fault. His cookie-cutter brother who had his perfect girlfriend and his perfect life with his perfect car and his perfect plans had gone bat shit crazy and murdered several people roughly ten years back... and was now locked up in the KCF – The Konohagakure Correctional Facility. Itachi was disinherited from the Uchiha family, pushing Sasuke up the ladder to Uchiha family heir.

He got all the perks. The high seat at the family business. The cars. The women. The VIP treatment. The arranged marriage... but that was not a perk, now was it? He sent another well placed punch to the man's face, sending him reeling into the wall. The other man tried to tackle him, but Saskue backhanded him across the face with enough force to snap his neck to the side.

He was blindly kicking and punching and beating up on the men when Naruto rushed back over with the girl limp in his arms.

"Shit, oh shit, Sasuke, we have to get her to a hospital," Naruto said urgently, his bright blue eyes worried. Sasuke was momentarily stunned by the long graceful neck of the girl in Naruto's arms, but he shook the thoughts away. Sick.

Sasuke didn't know why Naruto was still his friend. That level of goodness in a person was unrealistic, even worse when paired with a dark horse like him. Why the Uzumaki man refused to turn his back on him, Sasuke would probably never know.

Naruto was everything Sasuke wasn't. Cheerful, positive, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, strong... He and Naruto had met in juvie back when they were about fourteen years old, and Naruto had not let go of Sasuke since. Sasuke scowled.

"Hn," he responded shortly, releasing the throat of the man he had in his grip. The man crumpled in an unconscious heap.

"Should we take them to the hospital too?" the blonde asked, one blonde eyebrow raised. Sasuke deadpanned.

"Let them rot," he snarled, stepping over one of the men and giving him a parting kick. "I don't want him messing up my car." He brushed past Naruto, his mood hurtling southward at a rapid pace. His mind ran back on his parents.

If the girl they had picked for him was even relatively cool, it would have been... bearable... but Karin was the bane of his existence. She was related to one of business's greater moguls, Orochimaru, who owned the majority of West Konohagakure's businesses and was spreading his arms outward. Orochimaru disgusted Sasuke, and Karin was worse. She was unbearably annoying. He would murder her before he spent the rest of his life with her!

Sasuke opened his car and watched as Naruto gently laid the girl on the back seat. She was gorgeous, even passed out, and Sasuke suddenly swallowed a lump of desire. It was like everything was pointing him away from Karin. He got behind the wheel and turned his convertible on.

"Should I sit in the back with her?" Naruto asked him, peering worriedly at the girl.

"Whatever," Sasuke grunted, pulling on his seatbelt. Naruto probably thought 'whatever' meant 'yes, that is the best idea', so he got in the back seat and rested the girl's head gently on his lap. Sasuke scowled to himself. He would not have even thought of that. Sometimes he hated himself, and with Naruto, he couldn't even blame his extreme goodness on above average parenting, because Naruto's parents had been killed in a freak accident and Naruto had been on his own from his early teens. Sometimes his goodness annoyed Sasuke.

As they drove to the hospital, Sasuke glanced periodically into the rear-view mirror to see Naruto staring down at the girl's face, and stroking her hair and cheeks gently. A familiar burn pushed its way into Sasuke's chest. He'd never be like that, would he? He turned his focus back on the road, and felt a tug of relief when they pulled into the hospital parking lot. Naruto was out of the car with the girl in his arms before Sasuke could even park.

"You go park. I'll take her inside," the blonde said urgently, almost running with the girl in his muscular arms as he took her inside. Sasuke parked quickly, scrambling out of the car and running inside as well. He reached in time to see Naruto running behind two female nurses that were pushing the girl on a gurney to the examination room.

"We found her in an alley... two men were in the process of assaulting her.. I- I don't know how far they got," the blonde was saying to one of the nurses as they ran. The nurse nodded and took the girl ... or rather, the woman – as Sasuke saw now in the much improved lighting – to the examination room. He came to a halt beside the still shirtless Naruto. He didn't miss the lustful gazes the majority of the female nurses sent Naruto's way and the burn crept back up into his chest.

He got his fair share of appreciative looks, but Naruto was on a whole different level. Sasuke was several inches shorter than Naruto, for one, and had a noticeably smaller frame, even though he worked out just as much as Naruto did.

"They're checking to see if she is alright," Naruto said unnecessarily, his concern evident in his eyes and tone. Sasuke nodded mutely. He turned around. His knuckles were aching. He and Naruto sat in the waiting room waiting, not so patiently on Naruto's part, for the nurse to come back out.

The nurse slipped into the room and motioned to Naruto who was already halfway across the room by the time she noticed him. Sasuke followed at a much slower pace, but his heart gave a small anxious thump in his chest. He was almost as worried as Naruto was, but he wouldn't show it... that wasn't his style.

"She has some bruises on her legs and arms, and even though it does not look like she was raped, we applied a rape kit anyway, just to be sure. We're waiting for the results right now," the nurse said. Her gaze dropped to Sasuke's fists. "You should get your hands checked out. Come this way," she said, motioning for her to follow her.

After Sasuke got his hands cleaned and bandaged, he and Naruto filled out the appropriate paperwork and went back to the waiting room. They waited in tense silence for the nurse to come back out. When she did, Naruto shot to his feet, and Sasuke got up too, albeit a bit slower.

"You got the results?" the blonde asked worriedly. The nurse nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, we are happy to let you know that she was not raped. She just woke up and is asking for you," the nurse said. Naruto nodded and literally ran off to see the girl. Sasuke followed, but the nurse stopped him.

"She only mentioned a blonde. I'm sorry, sir," the nurse said. Sasuke clenched his teeth.

"I was the one that beat them off her," he snarled, pushing past the nurse and following after Naruto.

* * *

Hinata flushed when the blonde from before burst into the room. She smiled tentatively at him.

"Hey, are you alright? How are you feeling?" he asked, approaching the bed. His eyes slid over her worriedly.

"I-I'm f-fine," Hinata stammered, giving him a shy smile. "Th-thank you for earlier," she added, extending a hand. He seized it, his own large warm one enveloping hers completely.

"No problem," he said then, giving her a wide, dazzling grin. Hinata felt her heart give an unsteady thump. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Just as Hinata opened her mouth to respond, the door opened and a solemn, dark haired male entered the room. He was darkly good looking, but had a kind of standoffish edge that made Hinata nervous immediately.

"I'm H-Hyuuga Hinata... pleased to meet you," she said. Naruto grinned again.

"Wow, that's a beautiful name," he gushed, bright blue eyes sincere. "And that baka is Uchiha Sasuke. He's the one that beat those guys off you," he added pulling the other male closer. Hinata gave the man a small smile and extended her hand.

* * *

Sasuke dropped his gaze to the small hand she was offering and hesitated only a second before he shook her hand.

"P-pleased to meet you, Uchiha-san, Uzumaki-san," the girl said again, her voice whispery and soft. She was as beautiful, or more so, than her name.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in reply, even though a smile tugged at his lips. Hyuuga, huh? Suddenly this arranged marriage idea didn't seem so bad. Maybe if he could get this girl instead of annoying Karin, his situation might not be so bad. It would still be an advantageous bond to make, so his parents would be pleased. She looked like the sweet house-wifey type. He could still have a life and be with her, if that made it any clearer. Perhaps there was some use to this night after all.

* * *

**So... weather report. Angsty with scattered tears and heartache around midday... haha. Review and tell me what you thought, please!**


	2. The Way Out

**And so, chapter 2! Ty for the lovely reviews, follows and faves!**

* * *

"Hyuuga, you say?" Uchiha Fugaku asked, lowering his newspaper and adjusting his glasses so he could peer at Sasuke over the top.

"Yes, father, Hyuuga Hiashi's eldest," Sasuke clarified, feeling a strange pressure in his chest. His father had never once, from Sasuke remembered him, looked away from the financial section of the newspaper and actually _looked _at him while conversing at the breakfast table. There was a strange sort of excitement within him that came from receiving his father's notice. It was, not that he'd ever admit it out loud, something he'd craved for years.

"What's her name?" Fugaku asked, frowning as he tried to recall. Sasuke clenched his teeth a little before responding, his dark eyes carefully gauging his father's reaction.

"Hinata," Sasuke returned, mincing his words. His father hated round about conversations, so Sasuke had been practicing, since middle school days when his father had chewed him out about talking too much, to say only what was necessary.

"Hinata..." Fugaku echoed, testing out the name while completely unaware of Sasuke's inner thoughts. He only hoped he could use this opportunity to please his father for once. Everything he did fell short somehow of what Itachi did... Itachi who always seemed to have a plan, always seemed to have a way out. And now that Itachi was locked away, it was Sasuke's turn to have a chance.

"It's a nice name," Fugaku said slowly, his newspaper still lowered. He looked to Sasuke. "And you say you like this girl? Is she suitable?" Sasuke bit the inside of his lower lip before he let the subtle jab get at him. He'd once been head over heels for a pretty little rocker, Sakura, but her pink hair, brash honesty and lower class birth made her unsuitable in Fugaku's eyes, and Sasuke had broken it off badly with her in order to save face with his father. It had hurt him terribly, but not as much as he knew it had hurt _her._

"Yes, father. From what I've seen of her, she is respectful, kind, and carries herself well... and she is beautiful," he said for added measure.

"Of course she is," Fugaku said shortly, a tinge of the usual disappointment in his eyes when he looked at Sasuke. "She is a Hyuuga. They are all well bred." Sasuke heard the unspoken ending, though. _Unlike you._

Sasuke didn't respond, choosing instead to take a bite of his breakfast. His mother breezed into the breakfast room, perfectly dressed and made up with her purse over her shoulder.

"Good morning Fugaku, Sasuke," she said hurriedly. "I have a business meeting, so I will be running out now." Sasuke didn't say anything. It was almost funny. His mother was a celebrity chef, yet she never cooked in her own home. Not recently, anyways. Sasuke remembered being in primary school and being the envy of all the other kids who didn't have lunch as good as his was. Advancing into high-school, however, Sasuke had taken to skipping out to go to restaurants for lunch, because Mikoto no longer made bento for him.

Mikoto dropped a kiss to her husband's cheek, and with a clatter of heels, she was out the door. Silence fell over the breakfast table once more, and Fugaku picked back up his newspaper. Sasuke scowled into his breakfast, shifting it around disinterestedly due to his rapidly disappearing appetite. It figured that this wouldn't work either.

"How did you meet this girl?" Fugaku asked, turning a page.

"I possibly saved her life," Sasuke returned, feeling a little swell of pride in his chest. It disappeared when he thought of Hinata's obvious attraction to Naruto... but that could be fixed, right? Fugaku lowered the paper again, sent Sasuke a glance, and then put it back before his eyes.

"We will go and see Hyuuga-san and his daughter this week-end. Book an appointment with your mother for Saturday morning breakfast, and tell her Hyuuga Hiashi and family will be guests of honor. We will see about this Hinata child that has caught your fancy." Fugaku's tone throughout was hard and disapproving as usual, but Sasuke's heart jumped a little at the chance. Though he was struggling not to grin like an idiot, he kept his face straight and nodded.

"Fine, father," he replied, getting up from the table. The thought that he had to make an appointment with his own mother, for her to cook a meal for him, rankled but he pushed it where he pushed all other thoughts of his dissatisfaction, and prepared for another day at work.

* * *

"So... so you mean you've found someone you actually plan to be married to?" Naruto asked a few days later as he shovelled ramen into his mouth. Sasuke felt a little twinge of guilt. He'd bought Naruto this top-of the-line ramen, because he knew that Naruto had started to grow attached to Hinata. It was like his way of repaying the blonde. They'd seen Hinata every day since the incident... well, Naruto had gone to see her every day, and Sasuke had tagged along because... well it wouldn't do for her to get too much private time with his friend, now would it? That would leave him no chance. There was no way he could ever compare to Naruto. Jealousy squeezed his gut for the umpteenth time.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in reply. Naruto took that to mean 'yes' – having known Sasuke for years, the blonde was really good at interpreting his grunts – and took another bite of his ramen. He slurped the noodles, something Sasuke could never get away with, before continuing.

"Well that's great! If you chose her, then that means she's obviously gorgeous, so that's a plus, right?" Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto went on, his blue eyes twinkling. "Not that she could be as gorgeous as Hinata-chan, though. I..." the blonde paused and blushed. He leaned closer to Sasuke and whispered conspiratorially. "I asked her out on a date." Sasuke felt his spine stiffen. Not good.

"Really?" Sasuke asked, raising a dark brow as he watched his friend. He'd hoped Naruto would not have jumped into this so quickly.

"Yeah," Naruto went on. "And guess what! She said yes! So, I told her I would take her out for the day on Saturday. I figured we could go out and chill... maybe learn more about each other..." the blonde rambled.

But Sasuke wasn't listening. He'd tried, every time they had seen Hinata, to squelch her and Naruto's plans to go out. He'd used Naruto's forgetfulness to his advantage, 'reminding' him of a previous engagement on every free spot that he and Hinata had in common. So... so when had Naruto found the time to make a date? A waiter plunked a bowl of beef ramen in front of Sasuke, but he'd already lost his appetite.

"When did you make this date? I don't remember being there," Sasuke muttered, sliding the heaping bowl of steaming ramen Naruto's way as the blonde drank the remaining broth from his first bowl.

"Oh, I called her," he said, flashing Sasuke a grin and picking back up his chopsticks.

"You... called her? How?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

"Oh, she gave me her number... well..." the blonde flushed again, his cheeks reddening. "Well ... I asked her for it..." Naruto's muscles rippled with the simple movement of tucking into his second bowl of ramen and Sasuke looked away, feeling the familiar tightness in his gut. Sometimes he hated Naruto with everything in him.

* * *

"What?" Hinata gasped. This could _not_ be happening! "Where do we have to go? Why do we have to go? Oh, Kami, is this really happening?" Hinata whispered running her hands through her hair. Her younger sister, Hanabi, leaned closer to the mirror as she curled her eyelashes.

"Well, Father only told me that we have to go to breakfast with some family or other, but I was far from listening. Most likely it's some other business breakfast," Hanabi muttered absently. She began applying her mascara. "Why are you so flustered anyway? Father's finally asking for you to come, right? So this might be a step up." Hanabi sent Hinata a small smile, meant to be encouraging, but it was mocking Hinata.

Hiashi obviously preferred Hanabi, with reason, even though Hinata was his first-born. She'd heard the employees whispering at her father's firm, and she'd overheard the rumors that he was considering naming Hanabi as his heir regardless of the fact that it was Hinata's title by birthright. Having worked hard all her life to please Hiashi, the notion burned... but Hinata was used to it by now. She _should_ be used to it by now.

"I... I had plans," Hinata muttered lamely, thinking about how lovely it would be to spend an entire day with Naruto, minus the presence of his brooding, negative best friend. She didn't really know what Naruto saw in Sasuke, but the dark-haired man was always present, always interfering in ways Naruto was far too open-hearted and cheerful to notice. But Hinata had seen the tactic of subtly steering someone off track for years, and Sasuke's tricks did not escape her notice.

"Well, cancel them," Hanabi continued as she reached for her lipstick. "This is father we are talking about. Reschedule your plans, go to the breakfast date, and try your hardest not to let him down." Hinata heard the unspoken words and felt pained tears sting the back of her eyes. _Kami knows you're good at disappointing him._

"O-okay," Hinata agreed, trying to push away the crushing disappointment in her chest. She'd really wanted to go out with Naruto. He made her feel better than she'd ever felt before. He was so accepting and honest and sweet... not to mention his personality, which rivalled his hair for brightness, and his exemplary physique.

"Good then," Hanabi said, already used to being the one that accompanied Hiashi to his business meals and meetings. Hanabi was still in high-school, but she had an enviable amount of potential, and Hiashi was not about to let it go to waste. Hanabi also had the temperament that was suited to the business world. She preferred business socials to going out with friends, and was driven, brilliant and organized. She was also confident and good with people. She was, in short, everything Hinata was not.

Hinata stepped from the bathroom and ran to her room, struggling with her disappointment as she locked her door behind her. She reached for her phone and timidly scrolled through the contact list for Uzumaki Naruto. Finding the number, it took her several seconds to work up the nerve to call him.

* * *

"She cancelled!" Naruto complained. "I was so looking forward to going with her..." he moaned, his usually bright blue eyes dull with disappointment. Sasuke squelched yet another twinge of guilt.

"Hmm," he murmured as he pushed weights. Naruto, though only a little stronger physically than Sasuke, had undetermined levels of energy and had already finished his sets and was spotting for his best friend.

"I mean, something important with her family came up... some boring luncheon or something, but... but honestly I wish she could skip it," Naruto continued. "Now I have nothing doing on Saturday... MAN!" Naruto groaned. "Why did she have to be busy? I mean... why did something just have to come up? I was hoping to spend some time to get to know her and now this," Naruto continued. Sasuke tried not to listen, tried not to be guilty, but even some of the other guys around them were sympathetic, dropping little apologies here and there.

"You sure she's not trying to blow you off, Uzumaki-san?" Inuzuka Kiba asked between grunts as he did lateral raises. "Sometimes chicks do that, you know. The old 'something's come up' line."

"They only do that to you," someone yelled from across the gym, and a chorus of manly chuckles erupted around the room.

"Besides," Naruto went on. "Hinata's not like that. She's seriously sweet, right, Sasuke?" Sasuke only grunted in response. "See? Sasuke agrees, and he never thinks girls are sweet." Sasuke wished he could just tell Naruto to _shut up_, but he deserved this. He deserved to feel bad for what he was planning to do. It was best that he do this fast, quick before Naruto went and had a relationship with this girl. Best he move now while she was technically free game.

"I am just saying, if any of you guys ever meet Hyuuga Hinata, I saw her first," the blonde went on, scowling at all the men in the room. Sasuke groaned.

* * *

Hinata, dressed in a modest but fashionable navy dress made from a high-end textured material, kept her head down as the family was escorted through the gigantic mansion they were supposed to be dining at. The house was even larger than that of the Hyuuga's, and that was saying something. Hinata did not hear a single word the butler was saying, her head filled with thoughts of the blonde she'd broken a date with – who had texted her earlier, claiming he was going to bust her from her boring breakfast like a knight on a white steed.

She followed dutifully behind her parents and Hanabi as they walked over the spotless tile and out through a large set of glass doors to the back patio. Hinata, aching to answer the text that had arrived on her phone as they'd driven up to the house, rubbed her fingers longingly against the zipper of her purse, barely noticing the artistic, sumptuous display set out before them.

She heard her father speaking in low tones with someone who had just approached them, and looked up. A man she recognized, but had never met before, was talking to her father, his tasteful clothing identifying him as the master of the house. His serious expression and dark eyes reminded Hinata of Naruto's best friend, and she stifled a giggle when she applied Sasuke's sullen face to the man's body.

"And these are my daughters, Hanabi and Hinata," Hiashi was saying. Hinata noticed that he mentioned Hanabi first, but squelched the pain in her chest. Instead, she smiled and gave a graceful bow.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Hinata," the man said, levelling a hawk-eyed stare at her. "I've heard quite a bit about you." He had?

"The pleasure is all mine..." What was his name? Hinata panicked, realizing she hadn't been paying attention when the man's name was mentioned.

"Uchiha Fugaku," the man supplied, with a displeased twist to the corners of his mouth.

"It's my pleasure, Uchiha-san," Hinata said, bowing again. Her eyes widened. _Uchiha?_

* * *

Sasuke trotted onto the back patio, slowing once his footfalls would come in hearing range of the guests. His heart clenched nervously. What if his father didn't like her? He would be screwed, again.

"Good morning," he said as he approached. His father turned, gracing Sasuke with a rare smile.

"Ah, Sasuke, you're here," Fugaku said. "Meet Hyuuga Hiashi-san and his wife... and his daughters Hinata and Hanabi... well, you already know Hinata." Sasuke nodded and politely greeted the guests. Hiashi he approached, bowed before, and shook hands with.

"It is an honor to meet you, Hyuuga-san," Sasuke said, desperate to at least please his father with his manners. Fugaku gave him a rare look of approval and turned to continue talking to Hiashi.

It was then that Sasuke looked at Hinata, and the woman had such an expression of venom in her eyes that Sasuke almost wished he could look away... but he stared her down with a blank look of his own. Her sister, Hanabi, was eyeing him with undisguised interest, but Sasuke didn't spare the teenager a glance. Instead, he walked over to Hinata.

"W-what is this about?" she asked, sending a glance in the direction of their fathers. Sasuke paused before answering, wondering if it would be easier to gain her trust if he pretended that this had been forced upon him rather than instigated by him.

"They are discussing the benefits of an alliance between our families," he said vaguely. Her large grey eyes widened.

"Between..." she started, glancing back at their parents, since Mikoto had just joined the group, a team of chefs trailing behind her.

"Between you and I," Sasuke clarified, trying not to feel insulted at her horror. Women usually _wanted_ to be with him... at least, for a while.

"B-but..." she started. "N-no offense, Uchiha-san... but... I would rather not be a part of such a union." Her beautiful, flawless skin tinged red at her bold statement.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, motioning that she join him for fruit from the display. She followed reluctantly behind him. Her face tortured, she took the small bunch of grapes that he offered her, but didn't eat any of them.

"B-because I have s-someone that I like," she stuttered, her whispery voice soothing to Sasuke's ears. He wouldn't mind hearing her talk. However, the blush on her face he knew was reserved for his best friend, and Sasuke felt that familiar squeeze in his gut again. Why couldn't she be attracted to him? It would be so much easier for this to work. He could finally make his father proud and maybe have a shot and something _he_ wanted.

He would have her. Regardless of the consequences, regardless of how she felt right now – because he could change her opinion of him, right? She could grow to care for him, right? – he would have her. He had to. She was the only way, because there was no way he was going to be stuck with Karin.

He was just about to reply when footfalls sounded in the house as someone ran their way.

"Hinata-chan? What are you doing here?" A masculine voice asked. It seemed that Naruto had crashed the party. Sasuke turned, trying to keep the panic from his face when he saw Naruto. The blonde's eyes widened, and then narrowed when he focused on Sasuke. Without even greeting the rest of the people gathered there, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him back into the house.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked.

"You _knew_ about this?" Naruto hissed, ignoring Sasuke's question and feeling anger well up inside him when he thought of Sasuke knowing all along where Hinata was going to be. "You knew and you didn't tell me? You know I like her, Sasuke." What Sasuke said next stunned Naruto into shocked silence.

"I like her too." Wait, what?

"Y-you... you _what?"_ the blonde asked, loosening his grip on Sasuke's collar. His best friend's dark eyes met Naruto's head on.

"I like her too." Naruto sighed. That would suck for the Uchiha, because, as it was, Naruto was having a hard time convincing Hinata that Sasuke was a great guy.

"She... she doesn't like you, Sasuke," Naruto said plainly, feeling a bit torn up for his friend. He watched Sasuke's black eyes darken, and then the Uchiha looked away for a moment.

"I don't care." The softly spoken words sent Naruto reeling backwards. What? He didn't _care?_

"How can you not care?" the blonde asked, stepping back up to Sasuke. Naruto felt a little twinge of fear grip his insides. He really liked Hinata; she was perfect for him... but if Sasuke liked her too... Naruto didn't want anything to come between him and his best friend.

"I'll make her like me," his dark haired friend said, a determined edge to his voice. "Our father's are discussing a marriage right n.." Naruto punched him in the face.

"You're going to _force her?"_ the blonde exclaimed as anger surged through him. This was weird. They only knew Hinata for a week today, but already they were fighting over her. Naruto had to say that he'd fallen for the quiet, grey-eyed woman... and he knew she liked him too. So why was Sasuke, who was an outsider to his and Hinata's little bubble of mutual like, trying to ruin things? And how could Sasuke not care about how she felt, but advance with a plan to marry her despite her feelings for another man? It wasn't right.

"I'll do what I have to," Sasuke said darkly, cupping a hand to his face as he straightened. "Just stay out of it, Naruto," the Uchiha spat. Naruto scowled at Sasuke, not liking what he was seeing in his best friend.

"The hell I will," the blonde said, clenching his fists. "If she doesn't want you, you're not getting her, dattebayo. And I know for a fact that she doesn't want you." He did not miss the flash of pain in the Uchiha's eyes, but sometimes the truth hurt, and Sasuke needed to face that.

"Yet," was all the Uchiha said in response, his eyes shuttered as he gingerly touched his jaw. "She doesn't want me yet."

* * *

**Well, I woke up at 3:00 am, and I typed this... hrmm... I am not so sure what to make of that! Hahaha! Well, review my lovelies! Any thoughts? Suggestions? **


	3. Friendly Rivalry?

**Kyaaa! You people are awesome! Me so glad yall like! So, it is 12:57 ... as in almost 1:00am, and I have decided that my sleeping patterns are WACK! I am also thinking about making shorter chapters for this fanfic... that way I can update more often... idk... let me know what you think! Lmao! So... anyways, here goes!**

**It's short, sorry... and also un-beta-d, because I am exhausted. If you see any errors... feel free to let me know!**

* * *

Sasuke pushed past Naruto and turned to give the blonde a cutting glare. Who did he think he was? Sasuke stormed ahead, heading back out to the guests. He'd have a purpling bruise on his eye sooner rather than later, all thanks to Naruto's incredible fists. Naruto ran after him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Sasuke, stop this," the blonde urged. "Reconsider, mate. Someone's gonna get hurt!"

"And that someone should be me? I am not _allowed_ to have a chance at happiness?" Sasuke spat, shrugging Naruto's hand off and taking a couple more steps. "I should probably remind you, Naruto-kun," Sasuke said darkly as he paused at the door to the patio. "...that you would have left her there in the alley... a rat, you said... or was it 'stray'? I, however, distinctly remember saying 'woman'... and while I beat them off her, you got to carry her off and be the hero. So don't you _dare_ come to me and tell me to back off, and to stop... because someone 'will get hurt'." Sasuke's voice dropped low with ill-contained anger. "If not for me... I won't be cruel enough to spell it out for you, Naruto. Surely you're at least smart enough to understand _that."_

Naruto stood, blue eyes wide and hurt, as Sasuke spun back around and stormed back outside. Sasuke told himself he didn't care. He told himself the words had not felt like acid coming from his throat. He told himself that the words needed to be said... So why were his insides still churning? Why was his heart racing? Why did it feel tight and uncomfortable there in his chest?

Sasuke paused, taking a deep breath to compose himself before he faced the guests again.

* * *

Hinata guardedly watched Sasuke's return. Naruto did not rejoin the group. What was going on? Sasuke looked cold and closed off as he stalked back over, giving Hinata the impression that he and Naruto had argued. What had they argued about? Did Naruto think she wanted to be in a relationship with his best friend? Hinata chewed on her lower lip as she tried to keep calm.

Fugaku called the group over to where a table had been elegantly set and indicated that everyone sit and eat. The next hour passed in a blur for Hinata. She smiled, nodded, said all the right things when prompted, and remained the perfect picture of elegance, but inside, it was a different story. She ached to run, to be free from her father's restrictions and expectations, and this rigid, strict lifestyle. She wanted to spread her wings, if she even had any at this point!

After eating, it was around 11:00 by then, Fugaku and Mikoto urged the group towards the sitting room, to 'have a chat'. Hinata did her best to ignore Sasuke's blatant staring, and Hanabi's subtle flirtations... which Sasuke was actually ignoring, to his credit. As everyone got up, Hinata found herself dropping back, lagging at the back of the group. She wished she could meld into the walls and just escape.

"It would probably be less odious for you if you pretended to like me," a silky smooth voice at her ear said. Hinata turned sharply, her grey gaze meeting Sasuke's dark black one.

"W-what?" she gasped.

"I'm saying, that you may come to like me... if you try," he said again, his voice strangely hesitant even though his eyes were expressionless. He ran a hand through his dark hair, an action that might drive other women swooning, but not Hinata. She much preferred the cheerful, blue-eyed, blonde's appeal. Naruto. Her heart fluttered a bit at the mere thought of him.

"I-I don't think so, Uchiha-san," she said quietly. "I... N-Naruto-san..." Her thought processes become more jumbled the more she thought about him, Hinata felt her face flush with burning heat. Her keen grey eyes did not miss the hardening in the Uchiha's eyes.

"Naruto," he spat. "It would do you well to forget him. I don't know if you noticed, but father likes you, and your father likes that. I can assure you that a joining between families will occur, so maybe you had better try to like me sooner rather than later," the dark haired male said, his tone a little icy.

A foreign burst of anger surged through Hinata. How dare he order her around? He was just like her father in that sense. Just like Neji, who never ceased to lord his superior intellect over her.

"I don't see anything to like," she heard herself say, before she had a chance to catch the words in her throat as she usually did. Her face flooding with embarrassed heat, Hinata muttered a quick apology, and hurried to catch up with the others.

* * *

_"I don't see anything to like."_ Sasuke rolled over in his bed, a strange heaviness dominating his chest. Just like the others. Just like his father. Just like his mother. Just like the women he dated eventually came. He wasn't that bad, was he? He wasn't so terrible that no one could like him, was he?

She hadn't given him a chance. Not one chance. She'd been singing Naruto's praises since they'd met... but never once said something nice to him, other than thanking him for coming to her aid that night. However, Sasuke had gotten the distinct feeling that he was being somewhat ignored, even as she had been thanking him, and he knew that was due to his best friend's bright presence.

Sasuke clenched his teeth and pulled the covers to his bare chest. He was always in some shadow or another; first Itachi's, and now Naruto's. When could _he_ be the one to cast a shadow? When would he ever be happy?

Sasuke felt determination heat his insides. He would get her to like him. He would. She would like him more than she liked Naruto. That blush would grace her cheeks when she thought of _him,_ damn it. No longer would he covet her attention, or her affection. He would have it, and he would have it all, if it killed him trying. He would make his father proud by securing a fortuitous alliance with the Hyuuga clan, and he would have Hinata as his wife, and by Kami, she would love him. She would.

* * *

Hinata got to her feet, unable to bear the stifling presence of the Uchihas and Hyuugas gathered in one room. True, it was only seven people in total in the room, but it felt like the other six were driving the life out of her. The questions, the instigations and insinuations... they were all getting to her. They all seemed to have the goal of pushing her into a relationship with Sasuke, and it was one Hinata had no desire to join. Not in the least.

"Excuse me, please," she said softly. "May I be excused? I need to visit the ladies room," she clarified, keeping her gaze to the floor.

"Of course," Fugaku said, standing as well. "Sasuke, escort her out." Sasuke was already walking over to her, and Hinata tried to hide her instinctual reaction of flinching when he reached for her hand. The subtle tightening around his mouth told her, though, that Sasuke hadn't missed the movement. A muscle jumped in his jaw as she allowed him to take her hand and lead her out the door.

They walked in stilted silence, their feet loud on the tiled floor. Hinata walked as far from Sasuke as propriety would allow, wishing he had declined the order of walking her to the restroom. He glanced at her and then stopped walking.

"You know, I could give you more than he could," he said softly, frowning. "You would be able to maintain the lifestyle you are used to." His mouth tightened at the corners, and his dark eyes were trained on her face. If only he knew that what Naruto could give her, he didn't even have to give. Hinata did not respond for a moment, not knowing how to respond without being as rude as she had been the week before, when her words had escaped her.

Apparently, her silence was still the wrong response. Sasuke began walking again, not even looking at her this time. He stopped at a door, and opened it for her. Hinata gave him a small mirthless smile and slipped past him into the bathroom. When the door closed behind her, she leaned against it and released a strained sigh.

* * *

Sasuke stared at the door for a pained moment. Things were progressing slower than usual. Even though his father and Hiashi were already drawing up tentative documents, Sasuke knew that they were pretty much already decided on the verdict. There would be a marriage. Still, Hinata... He had gotten nowhere with her.

How dare she refuse him so consistently? His wounded pride reared up to cover the sting of her continued rejection. Why could she not see how fortunate she was that she could maintain her lifestyle if she pursued a union with him? How did she not realize that Naruto could never give her what he could? Sasuke's fingers curled into fists at his sides.

He'd taken her to dinner thrice... and all three times she had sat before him in relative silence, barely touched her food, and left at the first polite opportunity. There was nothing definite for him to complain about, because she had always been the personification of grace, but... but there was no feeling.

Was something actually wrong with him? Sasuke decided while walking back to the sitting room, that he would try harder. There had to be something he could do. He stopped at the sitting room door, his hand resting on the knob, then decided that he could start by apologising for whatever he had done to make Hinata dislike him so much... and maybe promise to do better... to try to be someone she could perhaps like, if not love. Sasuke didn't really know why he suddenly wanted her attention so much, when just a little over week ago she had been purely a means to an end... but he was determined to find out.

* * *

Hinata waited until she heard Sasuke's steps disappear down the hall before she sank to the floor. She reached into her purse for her phone so she could text Naruto. The two of them had been keeping up a dialogue in between the dates forced upon her, and Hinata could safely say that the blonde liked her.

-_Stuck at the Uchiha's again-_

Naruto's response to her text was almost instantaneous.

-_I am close. Want to skip it?-_

Hinata's heart gave a funny thump. Could that happen? She felt a strange feeling inside her... she felt brave. For once, she felt like she could do something rather than just sit back and take whatever came to her.

She asked Naruto how to escape, to which the blonde responded by calling her.

"Hello?" she whispered into the phone. She could hear his smile when he responded.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," the blonde said over the line. "Are you near a window or anything? The Uchiha's have got huge windows in their house. Me and Sasuke use them to sneak out all the time," Naruto said, his words followed by a husky chuckle.

"I-I'm in the b-bathroom on the first floor... the one n-near the sitting room," Hinata whispered, taking advantage of her moment of bravery, and scowling inwardly at her stutter. In Naruto's presence, the effects of her legendary shyness were exacerbated.

"I know it!" Naruto said excitedly, and Hinata could hear the sound of Naruto's battered car in the background. "Okay," he continued. "See if you can sneak out and run to the room across the hall." Hinata nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her.

"I-I'll try," she whispered, slowly, and very carefully opening the bathroom door. She held the phone to her chest and poked her head out the door. After a surreptitious peek, she deemed the coast clear and tiptoed across the hall to the double doors opposite the bathroom. It was locked. She put the her phone to her ear, and opened her mouth to tell Naruto about her problem.

"If it's locked, the key is usually in a red bowl on the little table," Naruto continued speaking, as if he had eyes on her or something. Hinata shivered a little at the thought. Finding the key where he said it was, Hinata opened the door.

"O-okay... I am in the r-room," she declared softly, admiring the pale yellow of the room, accentuated by the sunlight flooding in from the large floor-to-ceiling windows. Naruto chuckled.

"I know; I can see you," he said, and Hinata's face went bright red as she saw him wave from the bushes that edged the outside of the windows. Hurrying over to open the window, Hinata blushed furiously at the sight of the man that had well and truly caught her fancy. Upon opening the window, Hinata saw that the ground outside was actually about six feet down. As if sensing her problem, Naruto came forward, a bright grin spreading his cheeks.

He opened his arms.

"Jump. I'll catch you. I promise."

* * *

**So, here goes... Naruto, Hinata... begin interference sequence. Personally... my heart squeezes a little for Sasuke... what do you guys think?**


	4. Desperate Times

**Sorry for taking so very long! This chapter is wack, but a bit necessary. Some of you may hate this Sasuke a little…**

* * *

Sasuke stopped outside the slightly ajar door, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. She was leaving? With Naruto? He supposed he should have seen it coming. She clearly wanted nothing to do with him or his family, and with a rival like Naruto, Sasuke could understand why. He was nothing in comparison. Well, obviously he had more money and was from a higher class, but Naruto was… if Naruto had the social standing and money that Sasuke had, the Uchiha would have absolutely nothing over him.

Sasuke rested his hand against the door, hating to watch Hinata step up to the open window, but unable, for some reason, to move. He watched her, pain clawing up his throat, as she jumped from the window and into Naruto's brawny tanned arms… which were prominently displayed by a black sleeveless vest with a fox emblazoned on the front.

Sasuke dropped a self-conscious glance to his dark grey button-down shirt and black sports jacket. He grimaced as he made the comparison. Naruto didn't have to put any effort at all into appearance to catch Hinata's attention. Sasuke, on the other hand, had spent almost an hour trying to figure out what combination of his clothing could hold Hinata's gaze. Apparently, this wasn't it. Sasuke chewed on his lower lip as he watched them giggling and laughing to themselves as Naruto carried Hinata princess style across the yard and out of Sasuke's vantage point.

_'You can't give up,' _Sasuke told himself sternly, even as the weight in his chest threatened to make him just give up. _'Think about it, think about her. Think what this might mean if you managed to get her.' _ Sasuke sucked in a breath. He might have lost the battle, but he would win the war or die trying.

He knew it was probably stupid to risk his friendship with Naruto over a girl that clearly didn't want him, but… but for some reason he couldn't seem to help himself. He wanted her, and he had an idea why, but he didn't really know for sure.

With heavy steps, Sasuke returned to the sitting room and forced a blank expression to his face.

"Father, Hinata and I are going out… to give you some time to talk to Hyuuga-san," Sasuke said, lying easily to his father. If Fugaku found out that Hinata wanted no part in this, the whole thing would be off, and he would look like an even worse idiot. He had to find a way to fix this. To make her want him. To make her choose to be with him. There was a way. All he had to do was find it.

* * *

Hinata giggled uncontrollably as Naruto carried her to his battered car. She would choose it over any of Sasuke's or her father's luxury cars any day. Naruto gently rested her inside the car, locked the door, and ran around to the driver's side of the car. He slid in, started it up and drove off down the road while sending her a cheeky grin.

"Well, that was a good plan, wasn't it?" he asked, mirth dancing in his bright blue eyes. Hinata nodded emphatically and smiled back. When Naruto's gaze grew less mirth filled and more appreciative, Hinata's cheeks reddened.

"What?" she asked to break the silence. Naruto was serious when he responded.

"You look beautiful. Whatever are you doing with a guy like me?" He quickly grew worried. "Damn it," he muttered. "I'm not even sure that seat's clean. Kami, Hinata-chan. Let me stop and…" He didn't finish the sentence, but pulled over on the side of the road and fled the car before Hinata could stop him.

"What are you…?" Hinata started as he pulled open her car door and leaned over to unbuckle her seatbelt for her. The scent of him – like fresh soap and man – made her forget what she had been about to ask. She could feel his warmth radiating off his body and he occasionally brushed her as he tried to undo the seatbelt.

"This thing is… stupid…" he grunted. His head was bent by her chest as he jerked at the faulty seatbelt clasp and Hinata found herself staring at his blonde hair and tanned skin. She could just sink her fingers into-

Triumphant and slightly embarrassed blue eyes met Hinata's grey ones as Naruto spun his head around to face Hinata. He'd finally managed to free the clip and grinned at the small victory. Before Hinata could say anything, he pulled her from the car – gently, but exuberantly – and pulled off his shirt.

Once again, Hinata was regaled with the view of his muscular, perfectly tanned torso.

Once again, Hinata was not prepared.

This time, however, it was worse. The sunlight hid nothing from her vision. Not the grooves between his abs. Not the muscles moving beneath his skin as he took his shirt off. Not the dimples at the base of his spine as he bent over to spread his vest on the seat she'd been sitting on. Not the fine hairs at the nape of his neck. Not the bright blue of his eyes as he turned to face her –

Oh dear, he'd caught her staring! Hinata's face went bright red and she looked away quickly. Naruto chuckled softly, but Hinata didn't feel like she was being laughed at or ridiculed. And he didn't tease her or make any smart comments. Instead, he gave her a bright grin, his cheeks a tad redder than normal as well, and led her back to her seat in the car.

Hinata sat and allowed him to close the door for her. He ran around to the driver's side and slid back beneath the wheel.

"So… Wanna go to the beach?" Naruto asked as he pulled back onto the road. "I haven't got much, but… but I could probably get you a swimsuit if I see one there…" he continued, flashing her a quick glance before turning her attention to the road. He wanted to buy her something? Hinata felt a pleased flush alight her cheeks.

"N-No, I couldn't possibly allow you to-"

"Sure you can," Naruto cut in, grinning widely. "I offered. If… If you…" His face reddened and this time he didn't look over at her. "If you feel bad… maybe I could get a kiss… and call it even?" They were both bright red in the face as they pulled up to a stoplight.

"O-Okay," Hinata said softly when the light turned to green.

* * *

Naruto was on top of the world. He'd managed to save Hinata from the stuffy Uchiha house, and she looked genuinely pleased to be with him. He knew he was thinking that he might be in love with her… but he wasn't really ready to admit it yet… but he was thinking it, and he knew he was thinking it. If that made sense. He was confusing himself a little.

Still, every time he looked at her, she blushed and smiled and peeked at him from under those gorgeous lashes with those gorgeous eyes and his heart raced in his chest. He didn't mind that she was super shy… he had too much energy anyway… besides, what did that matter?

Naruto was royally pissed off at Sasuke. Sasuke knew he liked Hinata, but still he was trying to force her into a relationship that she didn't want to be in.

Pushing thoughts of his best friend from his mind as they pulled up at the beach, Naruto bounded around to Hinata's side to undo her seatbelt for her. He really didn't mind, and it wasn't because his cheek had the opportunity to brush her soft chest as he worked the finicky seatbelt clasp. Well… not only because of that. He genuinely liked doing things for her, and it daunted him that Sasuke had the money to get her anything she wanted. He, on the other hand, had nothing. He barely had a job that paid, and being who he was… he'd probably never have a high paying job. He simply wasn't academic enough, and he knew it.

There wasn't really much he could do about that, was there? All he really had to rely on were his muscles… hence he worked in construction. He genuinely liked lifting and carrying and sawing and hard labour like that, and his energy reserves were high enough to be conducive to such type of jobs. Besides, the way Hinata had been checking him out while he was shirtless showed that she didn't mind the results of his job either.

Naruto pulled open the car door, hoping she wouldn't notice his intake of breath as he leaned closer… the intake of breath that filled his nostrils with her soft scent. As he bent over her to jerk and pull at the seatbelt clasp, Naruto was painfully conscious of her body heat and how incredibly close she was.

He twisted at the clasp, while pushing the release button and tugging fiercely on it until it popped free. Giving a little sigh of disappointment that it had released so soon, Naruto stepped back and took her soft little hand to help her from the car.

Looking down at her hand in his, Naruto was amazed at how small, soft and pale it looked in comparison to his large, calloused and tanned one. He smoothed the skin at the top of her hand with his thumb, his eyes widening slightly in wonder, until he heard her soft gasp.

Naruto had to clear his throat when he saw the heated look in her eyes at the simple movement, and forced himself to let her hand go. He closed the door for her and stood there for a short moment before he noticed that she was wincing a little.

"Are you alright?" he asked, feeling a bit of worry. Had he hurt her somehow?

"Yes, I'm fine," Hinata responded with a small smile.

"Okay," Naruto said hesitantly. He reached for her hand, then jerked it to a stop as the thought occurred to him that she might not be into hand holding… but then she slid her hand in his and gave him a small shy smile.

It was enough to make Naruto's spirits soar. He squeezed her hand gently in his and led her off to the beach. Hopefully he'd have enough cash to buy her a nice swimsuit so they could go for a dip.

* * *

Sasuke was quickly growing frustrated. He'd sat down to make a list of things he could possibly do to make Hinata like him… things he could do to make her choose him… and he'd been sitting at his desk for over three hours, and there was nothing on the paper. It was blank apart from where he'd scrawled 'Things I Could Do' in an effort to have at least one thing on the paper.

It was of no use. Sure, he was rich, but she was rich also, so money most likely was not an incentive. He could get her gifts, but she would know he was trying to buy her attention, and girls like her didn't respond to things like that anyway. He wasn't really all that good at making things with his hands… at least, he'd never tried, so that probably would be a bust too.

He had nothing to offer her.

Nothing at all, and it was the most frustrating thing Sasuke had ever had to admit. This time, when he thought of Naruto, there wasn't the familiar twinge of jealousy in his chest. No, this time, the jealousy was like an all-consuming, raging green fire within him. It rid him of rational thought for a moment; it was so strong. And to make matters worse, it had been travelling the distance to dislike, and then to hatred. He hated that Naruto was better than he was in Hinata's eyes. He hated that Naruto was better than him in his _own _eyes.

He could find no fault with his best friend. None whatsoever. None that counted, anyway! Oh how he hated that he couldn't be like Naruto. Outgoing and cheerful and… Sasuke growled deep in his chest and swiped the paper off the table with the swing of a frustrated hand. He felt so… so filled with inner turmoil and unrest.

This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be the means to an end. He wasn't supposed to want her like this! He wasn't supposed to crave her attention like this!

But he did, and now he had to have her, and he would do anything it took. He would do anything. Sasuke wasn't an idiot. He could see that Hinata loved Naruto. It was obvious. What he needed was a platform – some way to get her attention long enough to make her want him instead.

Before the idea formed fully in his mind, Sasuke knew it was underhanded. He gave a half-hearted attempt to push it from his mind, but his interest in where the idea could go overrode his priority as Naruto's friend and Sasuke found himself entertaining an idea that would almost definitely make Hinata his… An idea that would make her hate him, though. Or maybe she would see how much he wanted her and… no, that was unlikely… but maybe she would learn to love him over time, right? Maybe she could forgive him if he gave her time.

He would have her. He would have her. He had to have her. If he didn't… There was no one else he could think of that he would possibly ever want. He didn't think he could stand it if he didn't have her. His father's disappointment. His mother's disgust. Itachi would be so amused. Naruto would have Hinata and… Sasuke couldn't imagine a life of seeing them happy together when he wanted her so badly.

His heart squeezed with longing. No one had ever looked at him the way Hinata looked at Naruto. He was worth so much, but no one had seen him that way. Was something wrong with him? Sasuke's jaw clenched painfully tightly in response to the thought. What was it she had said to him?

_"I don't see anything to like."_

Sasuke ground his teeth together in an effort to distract himself from how much that statement hurt… just the thought of it sent pangs of pain radiating through his chest and throat. Damn. She'd summed him up perfectly in just that sentence.

No matter how he tried, he'd probably never find someone that liked him anyway, so he might as well choose the one he liked the most out of all those people that didn't like him. Not after they met Naruto, anyway.

It was inevitable that they would meet Naruto someday no matter how hard he tried to hide his friend from them… and they always preferred Naruto, even if they liked Sasuke's money.

It wasn't fair. He'd been the one to save Hinata from those men, and she'd barely spared him a glance. Naruto had gotten to cart her off while he'd thrown all the punches, and now Naruto was the one taking his rightful place.

Sasuke urged himself to convert the pain to anger; it was easier to deal with that way. All he had to do was find a way to drive them apart. That or convince one of them to drop the other. The more he thought about it, the more Hinata seemed like the most feasible option. Naruto could be incredibly hard-headed and stubborn when there was something he wanted, and it was obvious that he wanted Hinata. He'd be impossible to deter, and Naruto had a way of finding a way to get things to work for him, especially when in adverse situations.

Hinata, on the other hand, seemed to be an easier target. But he had to act fast. Naruto tended to be the type to strengthen those who associated themselves with him, and if Sasuke waited too long, Hinata would be strong enough on her own to defy him… to refuse him and stand her ground. He, however, had a plan that could work if he acted now.

* * *

Hinata's eyes widened with shock, disbelief, fear and no small amount of panic. He would do what?

"Wh-what?" Hinata gasped. Sasuke loomed before her, his face partially hidden by the shadows cast by the stairway above them. He'd pulled her from the dance floor at the upscale social event and dragged her under the stairwell in a more dimly lit section of the Yamanaka mansion. He looked menacing in the sparse lighting.

"I'll have him hurt. If you want him to be safe, you'll say yes when I publicly ask you to marry me… and if you dare tell him, I'll have him tortured. I will, and he has a high threshold for pain so whoever I choose will have to be really exuberant about their job," Sasuke threatened, his voice hard and unyielding. His eyes were icy and mean-looking, and Hinata felt like she was in the presence of a monster. His tone alone made her believe he would do exactly as he promised.

"Naruto has lots of enemies. I don't know if he's told you, but he's wanted by a gang in South Konoha called Akatsuki, and all I have to do is tip them off as to where he is. No one would ever know it was me, and not even you could prove it," Sasuke went on in her silence, his voice deadly serious.

Hinata swallowed convulsively; fear eating away at what little confidence she had.

"Also, if you say yes, I'll have him set up nicely. I'll get him a job that pays much better than the menial labour he currently tells himself he enjoys. Something he would be good at that would make him much more well off than he is now. I can pull strings, you know," he continued, not even so much as a smirk on his face. He wasn't playing around.

"Are we clear?" he went on, dead black eyes pinning her where she was in front him. Hinata backed into the wall, her eyes wide and afraid. Still, she nodded jerkily, unable to bear the thought of any harm coming to Naruto, and it was clear to her Sasuke was not bluffing. He looked like the type of man that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and he apparently wanted nothing. Hinata felt sick to her stomach. She would have to spend her life attached to this man?

Without warning, Sasuke slammed his palms on the wall on either side of her head. The scent of his expensive, tasteful cologne hit her senses. He smelled and looked good, as always, but Hinata knew that inside he was the complete opposite. He had an ugly spirit.

"I didn't hear you," he growled. "Are we clear?"

"Y-Yes," Hinata squeaked. "We're clear." How she hated this man. How she hated Uchiha Sasuke for doing this to her. For doing this to Naruto. A small smile tipped his lips but didn't reach his eyes and he leaned away from her.

"Good. Prepare to be engaged to me a month from now. I'll have eyes on you, so I'll know if you contact Naruto. Don't you dare try to sneak and do it, because I _will _catch you." Sasuke stepped away from her, put his hands nonchalantly in his pockets and turned to walk back to the guests at the dinner party they had both attended. Hinata felt a flash of anger pulse through her as she watched his departing back.

"How do you sleep?" she hissed after him, feeling some satisfaction when he jerked to a halt. He turned his head to the side after a long moment, and though Hinata could no longer see his eyes, she was sure she heard a tinge of sadness in his smooth voice.

"I don't."

* * *

**Tanaa! Oh bad Sasuke! Very bad Sasuke! Well, necessary chapter, and I am so sorry for making Sasu-chan the bad guy… but this needed to happen! Sorry I took so long! Please forgive me and review!**


	5. Break

**I promise I haven't given up on this story! Thank you all for the reviews, follows, faves etc!**

**Sorry for the delay! I've been working on several projects, plus it's that time again at school! Thank you for waiting! I am sorry for taking so long, but the story was at a weird place in my mind. Hopefully after this chapter, things will move along better…. Fingers crossed!**

* * *

Sasuke flipped over onto his back and sighed for the umpteenth time that night. Even with the air-conditioning on in his room, his thin sheets felt uncomfortable and constricting. And it all solidified the glaring fact that once again, he couldn't sleep. Sasuke rose to sitting position, kicked the covers away from his legs and punched his pillow with a savage growl. He flopped back onto it, turning on his side and clamping his eyes shut.

_'You threatened to harm your best friend,' _the Voice in his head accused. Sasuke groaned, his eyes flying open to stare blankly at the ceiling of the darkened room. _'You're worthless. To have to go to such lengths just to get her attention… even though you're not worth her, still you press on,' _the Voice went on, unrelenting and dispassionate. Sasuke felt a dense pressure building up in his chest.

Unable to stay in bed anymore, Sasuke flung the covers off himself and swung his feet to the floor. He hadn't slept much in the past two weeks, and when he had, it had been fitful and riddled with nightmares. He knew the cause. He should just leave well enough alone and let Hinata go, but he couldn't bring himself to. He was selfish, he knew, but he had to have her. He'd lose Naruto, for sure, but he had to have her.

Sasuke pressed his palms to his face and groaned at the throbbing pain in his cranium. His headache was back full force. It was a migraine, and he'd had it ever since the party when he'd confronted Hinata, and the exhaustion put together with his ebbing appetite were not helping one bit.

He couldn't stay here. He had to get away. Now.

Sasuke stood, weaving a little as he caught his balance, and cringing at the pain in his head. The memory of the bottle he kept in the fridge in his room taunted him. Teased him. Tempted him. A drink would help him so much right now, but Sasuke knew that if he started, he wouldn't stop, and that would be one more thing for Hinata to be disappointed about.

Pulling his chest of drawers open, Sasuke pulled out a pair of grey sweatpants and dragged them on. He pulled a dark blue vest over his bare torso and slipped his feet into some sporty flip flops. Grabbing his keys, the Uchiha slowly made his way downstairs and to his car.

The night air was cool and refreshing, and after Sasuke started up his car, he wound the windows down to feel the slight breeze ruffle his hair like a comforting caress. The thought alone made his chest ache with longing.

When was the last time that someone… When was the last time someone really _touched him_? When was the last time that he was simply _held_? Sasuke clenched his teeth, not allowing himself to go back in time and count the days, weeks, months or years since the last time he had affectionate contact with a female. And not the kind that was brought on because of his money. Sasuke pulled out of the garage and backed out onto the road. He was filled with self-loathing and disgust, but also that burning longing to… to just have her. He didn't think himself in love, because… because he'd pretty much just met her, but he was still filled with the drive to call her _his. _Sasuke wasn't even sure _how _to love someone. He didn't remember ever feeling truly loved, so he had nothing to compare what he felt against. There had been what he'd had with Sakura, but was that love?

They'd gotten along. She'd said she loved him, but to Sasuke, it had seemed like an obsession rather than love. She was the competitive type, and there had been lots of women attracted by his body and money. Now, lust, Sasuke understood. There had always been lust in abundance where he was concerned, even though Naruto and unwittingly rid him of even that, and he was just left with the gold-diggers.

Sasuke sucked in a breath and led his car down the Konoha streets, which were pretty much empty due to the time. His mind wandered… to his family, his friends or the lack thereof. His father was perpetually disappointed in him, his mother probably didn't remember his existence half the time, and Itachi was… well Itachi was in prison for murder. He'd always figured his older brother was diabolical but he hadn't really see that coming. In terms of family life, Sasuke couldn't really claim to have one. Even Naruto, who was an orphan, had a better family than Sasuke had. What with his mentors and well, the plethora of people the effervescent blonde inspired, Naruto didn't want for family.

Then there was the matter of friends. Sasuke didn't have any. Well, he used to have one, Naruto, but there was no way the blonde was still his friend after all this, so Sasuke was pretty much alone now. Naruto was really all he had, so why was he blowing this for a girl? It wasn't even that she wanted him but… but she hadn't even given him a chance. His chest squeezed uncomfortably again. He just wanted to have someone, so why couldn't someone, for once, want to have him?

He knew he was a disappointment, but did he deserve to be alone because of that? He would have thought that doing something like saving someone's life would maybe cause them to treat him a bit better but… but apparently not. So he'd turned to blackmail. Instead of just looking for someone else… Sasuke sighed and turned a corner. Sometimes he didn't know what to even do with himself. He didn't understand why it was so hard for him. He wasn't unattractive by any means, and he had the means to take care of a girl, but apparently he was found lacking by everyone… even himself. Being found lacking… Being a disappointment… that was probably the only thing he really knew how to do.

As he passed under a streetlight, Sasuke glanced outside and felt his heart give a heavy, painful thump. Was that Hinata? What was she doing on the road at this time of the night? He couldn't mistake her beautiful features for anyone else's even in the dark. He scanned the road ahead, looking for a clue as to why she would possibly be on the road at night and then his stomach fell.

This was Naruto's road. This was the place he usually came when he couldn't sleep… when he had an issue and needed a friend. He had no place here… and yet there he was. And there _she _was. She was on her way to Naruto's house, even though he'd threatened the blonde with bodily harm. He knew he'd most likely not chicken out on something he'd promised… which meant he couldn't allow her to see him.

Sasuke pulled the car over beside her and flung the door open. She looked over at him in surprise, which quickly changed to horror.

"Get in," he demanded, knowing he was glowering but not being able to help it.

* * *

Hinata felt shock course through her body at the sight of the villain in her own life story. Uchiha Sasuke. How he'd found out that she'd be going to Naruto's on the _one _night that she caved, she would probably never figure out. It had been two weeks since the party. Two weeks since she'd seen or spoken to Naruto, but the blonde had not given up on her. He called her every day, and texted her. He emailed and left messages. He even left notes. And every time Hinata saw them, her heart ached with longing, but she did not give in. Each message was like a reminder that he was alive and well, and if she ever so much as contacted him, that might change.

But his messages got more frantic and worried every day, and there was only so much a girl could take. So she'd put on her darkest clothing, snuck out the house and walked to Naruto's place. Or, she would have walked to Naruto's place had Sasuke not found her first.

"Get in," he rasped, his voice sounding like it hadn't been used in a while – and Hinata hated that she liked the huskiness _a lot -_, and his eyes blazing angrily. Hinata's first instinct was to make a run for it… but he was in a car. There would be no way she would get anywhere quick enough to evade him. She clenched her teeth and stared defiantly at him from the sidewalk, ignoring her fear of him for a moment.

"Get. In," he repeated, his voice darkening. Hinata wished she was Ino at this point. Her best friend was blissfully unaware, but was the type that would probably snark off in a situation like this. As it was, she was only herself, and smart comebacks weren't exactly popping into her brain at the moment. She settled for glowering back at him before reluctantly getting in the car. He reached across her and slammed the car door shut.

_'As if I couldn't do it myself,' _Hinata thought in annoyance, hating herself a little for liking the way he smelled. Kind of like… clean soap, some spicy deodorant, rain and… well that manly scent that was all Sasuke.

Sasuke settled back in his seat and just stared at her. His eyes travelled up and down her form. He wasn't even saying anything, just looking, with an unreadable expression in his dark eyes. Hinata felt her lips pursing tightly. She felt a bit uncomfortable under his stare, but she was too pissed off to let him know that, so she folded her arms and stared angrily back at him.

If she went for the dark haired, dark eyed, lithe types, her heart would be aflutter right now. However, blonde haired, blue-eyed bulkily muscled types were what got her going… and Naruto was the epitome of that look. He was cheerful, he made her laugh and her whole day was better after she was in contact with him. Sasuke, on the other hand, had a way of bringing this incredible, dense pressure along with him, and it was something Hinata wanted to escape.

As if sensing her distaste, Sasuke turned around and put the car in gear. Hinata stared longingly down the road as Sasuke spun the car around and began driving in the opposite direction. She decided that she was not going to say a single word. It was elementary, but she was going to give him the silent treatment. Ino said men hated that. To show her resolve, Hinata stared directly ahead and folded her arms over her chest. She was not pleased, and she was not going to hide it.

* * *

She was pissed. She had a right to be. He'd just technically kidnapped her. Sasuke clenched his teeth. This was hopeless, but he was confident that if she gave him a chance, she'd like him. If she gave him a chance, he wouldn't have to act like this. He wouldn't have to force her to like him. He gripped the steering wheel so hard the leather cover squeaked under the force of his grasp.

Sasuke snuck a glance her way. She was resolutely ignoring him. Her jaw was clenched, like his, but she was staring straight ahead. Her lips, too plump to ever become a firm line, were pressed tightly together, and she had both arms folded over her chest. Sasuke ached to say something. To apologize, or something, but… but now was not the time. Opposite to what an apology might sound like, Sasuke had no intention of halting his pursuit of her. He just needed her to see that he had his hat in the proverbial ring too. He was someone too, and even though he was far from worthy, he wanted her so badly.

If she could only see that he didn't really want to hurt her. If she could only give him a chance. Sasuke tore his gaze from her, hating the way her eyes, glossy from unshed tears, tore at his heart. He hated the way her eyelashes caught the glare from the street-lights they passed. He hated the way he felt terrible for wanting her to be his. Why was everything so hard?

Sasuke pulled back into the garage of his bachelor pad and parked the car. He switched it off, desperate to get out and away from her very loud silence. He locked his door and ran around the car to open her door for her. He yanked the door open, watching her warily. She glared up at him from her seat, but refused to budge. One of her dark brows rose slowly as she stared him down. That look. He never thought she had it in her, and it made his stomach roil nervously.

"Hinata…" he groaned, motioning at the inside of the house with his head and eyes. That perfect eyebrow stayed raised, and then she gracefully made her exodus from the car. Sasuke shut the door behind her, took her elbow, and led her inside the house. He struggled not to think about the heavy, stinging, acidic burn in his chest when she shrugged away from his touch. He curled his fingers into a fist and tucked it closer to his own body. The burn inside him was unrelenting.

He swallowed through a thick, tight throat and resisted the urge to scrub at his chest with the heel of his palm. Knowing she couldn't see his expression, Sasuke stared longingly at the back of her head as he moved towards the stairs leading from the garage and to the little room that joined the kitchen to the living area of the bachelor pad.

Why was she so far out of his reach? He could marry her, but would he really _marry her_? Would she ever really be his? Sasuke felt his brows pull together and his mouth turn down at the corner. Right now, any semblance of happiness seemed unattainable. He was a disappointment, right? A failure. He was a liar, a cheat and someone who would hurt his only friend to get what he wanted. Maybe he didn't deserve to be happy. Since he was going to fail anyway, and he was already deep in this shit, he might as well go through with it, right?

Sasuke was lost in his thoughts pretty much, but as soon as he slammed the door behind him, Hinata erupted.

"What is your problem?" she yelled. Yes, yelled. Sweet, flowery Hinata yelled. At him. Sasuke felt liked he'd just dropped from the rear end of a cow. He didn't answer, but hardened himself in preparation for what could possibly come next.

"Do you have _any _concept of human behavior?" she went on, pale grey eyes filled with loathing. "You can't just force someone to do what you want!"

"I've been doing pretty well so far," Sasuke returned, smirking even though his insides felt like a rotting black pit. Hinata's lip curled back in disgust.

"If I wasn't afraid for Naruto's safety… because I have a feeling you're low enough that you'd make good on your threat," Hinata spat, her meaning clear. She wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for his threat. Why did she think he threatened her in the first place? Suddenly, Sasuke was pissed off. As if Naruto was perfect. He came damn close, but he wasn't!

"Why do you love him so much anyway?" he found himself growling back at her. His fingers fisted at his sides, and his breathing went uneven as he tried to keep himself under control. He just felt like smashing something; ripping something apart.

"I thought that would be obvious to a snake like you, Sasuke," Hinata said, her pale gaze intense, boring into him with the force of a power drill. "Apart from his looks, he's cheerful. He makes anyone smile. He's gentle, and caring, even if he's a bit rough around the edges…"

"You mean simple-minded," Sasuke cut in, hating the ache at the base of his throat. Hinata scowled at him.

"He is not simple minded. You are. You can't even pick up on the simplest of suggestions, else you would have noticed that I'm not interested in you! It's like… you can't… the fact that you would betray your friend for a woman that wasn't the least bit interested in you is… frankly, disgusting! Naruto would never have done something like that to you. He's your best friend, but obviously, you aren't his," Hinata defended, and accused at the same time. Sasuke felt his mouth go dry. She detested him.

"Since you seem to know us both so well, go on. Sing his praises and I'll reveal his faults," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. He was bluffing. Naruto's faults were few and far between, especially in the realm of things like relationships. He was the type that would be crude and random, but everything he gave would come from the heart with good wishes and intentions behind it. The same could not be said for Sasuke.

Hinata obliged him. He'd heard it all before. But then she said something he could actually find issue with.

"… and he _saved my life!" _

Sasuke held up a hand and chuckled bitterly.

"No, I have to stop you there. _I _saved your life. _I _heard you whimpering in the alley. _I _was the one that convinced Naruto that you weren't a mangy street mutt or a freaking _rat. _And when he carted you off like the knight in shining armour, I was the one busting asses with my hands," Sasuke growled, stalking closer to her, until his face was mere inches from hers. They were both glaring at each other. "And you were so entranced by him that you didn't even hear when he admitted that I did all the work," Sasuke snarled.

"Even if he'd done all the work he'd have included you," Hinata defended. Didn't she see? Did she hate him so much she didn't even want to acknowledge what he'd done for? "Naruto is sweet, kind, honest, good-hearted and has good intentions toward everyone, and you are the opposite," Hinata went on, scowling. "You're selfish, opportunistic and sour."

"Have you ever seen Naruto's bad side yet? Have you ever seen him angry? He is a beast when angered, and…" Sasuke tried to input. He was grasping at straws. He wasn't even sure why he was trying anymore, when he was destined to fail. Hinata cut him off.

"He told me about that before, and I'm positive that you stand more of a chance of facing his wrath than I do," the dark haired female said, a resolute expression on her face. Sasuke felt the depressing heaviness that had been circling him hungrily for weeks now nip his heels. "I was his precious person, he called me his treasure, and you've been trying to steal that from him."

The pain in his chest was too intense. The jealousy was burning him up from the inside and Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. He felt cursed. Damned to sit in the shadow of someone for the rest of his life. First it was Itachi, and now it was Naruto. He just couldn't seem to catch a break. Why wasn't it easier than this?

The oppressive darkness seemed to swallow him, and before he drowned in it, he did the only thing he could; communicating the only way he knew how.

* * *

Hinata watched something break in Sasuke. She saw something in him just fall apart. The shield before his eyes fell away. His shoulders fell, and his breathing grew raspy. His gaze bore into hers, and then it was like she was in hell.

There was so much pain. It was like everything was broken; smashed apart. There was no hope. No joy. No cheer. Just suffocating pain and desperation. She wanted to scream. She wanted to struggle and break free, but it was like she was transfixed. Her heart was beating overtime in her chest, and the cardiac muscle ached unnaturally. She felt fear like she'd never felt before rise up inside her. Sasuke was like a vacuum, ready to suck anything positive out of anyone he could get his clutches on, which could explain why he'd affiliated himself with Naruto, who was like a never ending source of cheer. But she wasn't Naruto. She needed someone like Naruto too. If Sasuke got his clutches into her, she'd simply wilt.

Their faces were so close she could feel his breath on the skin between her nose and mouth. She couldn't look away from those pained black eyes. And then he was so close she could feel his body trembling without him even touching her.

… And then his lips were on hers.

The firm planes of his mouth crushed against her softer lips. His mouth moved against hers harshly, not even seeking entry. His lips parted over hers and he wetly kissed her closed mouth. He wasn't even asking her permission. And his gaze bored into hers with an empty hurting blankness. He didn't let up. The kiss didn't soften. It was like _he_ was kissing _her _and wasn't requesting her participation at all. It was the strangest, most complicated kiss Hinata had ever been given in all her twenty-four years, but strangely enough, she didn't feel disgusted.

Neither of them had closed their eyes, but had maintained eye contact the entire time.

Tension was building up within Hinata, and it wasn't the sexual kind. It was tight and strange and it felt like it would break her chest. Behind her eyes felt dense and heavy and it was like there was a pressure pressing against the interior walls of her skull.

Then something in her broke.

She parted her lips.

… And the entire nature of the kiss changed.

Almost immediately, Sasuke's lips softened against hers, sliding perfectly to meld together with hers. Hinata watched his eyelids grow heavy, then gracefully slide shut, until his dark lashes fanned out over his upper cheeks. His head tilted to one side for a better angle, and his hands came up to frame her neck.

There was a low keening moan from the depths of his chest, and then he was kissing her for all he was worth. There was such an intense hunger and desperation, Hinata could barely think anything else. She still didn't feel revolted.

His tongue slid against hers, then his arms were around her and he was clutching her to him as if she could save him. One hand moved up her back to rake fingers through her hair. Hinata could feel his heart thundering through his chest. It was going so fast she almost worried for him.

There were emotions relayed in this kiss that were so eloquent, Hinata doubted Sasuke would be able to put them in words. She certainly couldn't. There was a layer to him that went deeper than she'd seen. Something deeper than what she'd even thought possible of him. Something deeper than what Naruto had. Hinata wasn't sure if Naruto was even capable of these emotions.

Sasuke pulled away almost reluctantly, his hands fluttering around her face. His eyes slowly opened, the dark orbs peering into her grey ones. There was a warmth in them she'd previously assumed him incapable of. It was only a small bit, but it was there. She watched the shutter slide back over them, locking what she'd just seen away. She watched him pull his shell back around him, covering himself and shielding himself from her. And then he spoke, his voice husky and rough.

"I'm the one that saved you. I'll always save you if you're mine. I'll be good to you... if you just... Hinata, just give me a chance."

* * *

**…. So… What did you think? Okay, so I'm sorry there isn't any Naruto in this chapter, but I couldn't seem to find the perfect place for him to go. Once again, sorry for the wait!**

**Do review!**


	6. Don't Make Me Choose

**I have not forgotten this! Everything is a bit hectic as I've landed myself a job, so I've been taking snatches of time to get this to you guys, since I have about 16 ongoing stories on this site... how crazy is that?**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Don't Make Me Choose**

_Previously, on Another Man's Treasure:_

_There were emotions relayed in this kiss that were so eloquent, Hinata doubted Sasuke would be able to put them in words. She certainly couldn't. There was a layer to him that went deeper than she'd seen. Something deeper than what she'd even thought possible of him. Something deeper than what Naruto had. Hinata wasn't sure if Naruto was even capable of these emotions._

_Sasuke pulled away almost reluctantly, his hands fluttering around her face. His eyes slowly opened, the dark orbs peering into her grey ones. There was a warmth in them she'd previously assumed him incapable of. It was only a small bit, but it was there. She watched the shutter slide back over them, locking what she'd just seen away. She watched him pull his shell back around him, covering himself and shielding himself from her. And then he spoke, his voice husky and rough._

_"I'm the one that saved you. I'll always save you if you're mine. I'll be good to you... if you just... Hinata, just give me a chance."_

* * *

Naruto was going crazy.

What was happening with Hinata? He knew she cared about him, but she wasn't answering his calls, texts or emails, and she wouldn't see him when he went to her house. Had he done something stupid and insensitive? The blonde pushed the dumbbells upwards from his chest, his muscles moving on autopilot since he wasn't concentrating on working out at all. He just needed the physical exertion.

His head turned to the side on the bench, his eyes seeking out the empty spot beside him that Sasuke usually occupied. His dark-haired best friend never missed a gym night. Ever. He always showed up. Why was tonight so different? What exactly was going on?

Naruto had a feeling that Sasuke was still going through with that sickening plan to force Hinata into marrying him. What era did the Uchiha think he was in? Naruto pushed the weights harder, battling the rush of pain to his chest. Sasuke...

Sasuke was taking Hinata away from him, or trying to, and he wasn't playing fair. He was cutting corners and stepping on feelings and the whole thing just hurt Naruto deep inside. Deep inside where he'd never dreamed Sasuke would hurt him. People had never understood why Naruto was friends with Sasuke, and Naruto had always defended the Uchiha... but for this particular moment, Naruto was faced with the same question.

He knew he would forgive Sasuke immediately if he asked; if he stopped whatever it was he was doing. Naruto didn't mind a bit of rivalry, there had always been that with Sasuke, but for his friend to go so far with someone so important on the line... This was a _person _here. And not just any person, but _Hinata. _She was beautiful, she was special, she was amazing, and Sasuke was treating her like an object.

"Arrghh!" Naruto growled, setting the dumbbell down on its rack and sitting up. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair, fighting the burning behind his eyes. Damn this all. Sasuke wasn't only taking a woman from him, he was taking away himself. He was taking away Naruto's best friend. He was taking away two of Naruto's precious people, and Naruto hadn't the foggiest idea how to deal with that. Naruto rose from the bench and began to pace.

_'I don't want to have to choose. Kami, please don't let me have to choose which one is more important. I've known Sasuke longer, and he is my dearest friend but... but Hinata... she's everything I could want in a woman, and she likes me back...' _Naruto thought, his face set in frustrated concentration.

What the hell was he supposed to do about all this?

* * *

Hinata stared up at a spot on the roof of the guest room Sasuke had put her in. He hadn't tried to hurt her. He hadn't tried to do her any bodily harm. He just wanted a chance, or so he said. But Hinata didn't want to give him one. Not really. She just wanted Naruto back. She just wanted to look into those cheerful, caring blue eyes again, and feel his warm, muscular arms wrap around her and pull her close to his chest. She just wanted to hear that husky voice say her name in that loving, open way that only Naruto was capable of. She just wanted to drown herself in thoughts of Naruto.

But Sasuke wouldn't let her.

No, and it wasn't just the fact that he'd threatened the man she loved or that he'd abducted her and kept her in his house. No, he'd actually attacked her mental image of Naruto. For some reason, she'd always associated Naruto with her rescue. She could remember clearly the way he'd lifted her into his arms and carried her off to safety. But Sasuke had smashed that image. He'd smashed it because he'd been the one to actually save her on all counts. Even if Naruto had not been there, he would have been able to rescue her, and that mere thought plagued Hinata into a state of sleeplessness.

What was it about Naruto that blinded her to all else? What was it about Naruto that would make her disregard Sasuke's rescue of her, and to his face at that? She hadn't even paused for a moment to thank him, and Hinata felt so … so _guilty. _She'd knocked him down at every opportunity she'd gotten, only to find out that she'd been only compounding the pain he already survived in. Hinata didn't know what had happened to Sasuke, but she knew that whatever it was had scarred him. Damaged him. Hurt him.

And she'd made it worse.

She shouldn't be here.

Hinata rose from the bed, pushing the sheets away from her body. The room Sasuke had put her in was tasteful and comfortable, yet also cold. There were no little touches, no sign of affection or love anywhere. Nothing personal. Hinata swung her legs to the floor, her toes sinking into the fronds of the plush carpet. She pushed her hair away from her face and sighed.

She shouldn't be here.

She didn't want to choose. She didn't want to choose between both men asking for her attention. Why now? And why like this? She'd had her fair share of admirers... not anywhere in the league of those of her best friend Ino, but she'd had her fair share. However, she'd never had two serious men asking for her attention _at the same time. _And never _this _serious before.

She didn't want to choose between the pain-filled Uchiha and the cheerful, inspiring Uzumaki.

She shouldn't be here.

* * *

Sasuke fisted his comforter over his chest, the soft fabric failing to give him any actual comfort. He shifted restlessly on the bed, not even able to close his eyes. He wouldn't be able to sleep, and the images behind his eyes were much worse than staring at the painting on the wall across from him. Much worse.

Even the paint on the abstract artwork seemed to be mocking him from its place on the wall. The colours took the shape of Naruto's face, his hurt blue eyes accusing Sasuke. Well. He was bound to disappoint the blonde sooner or later. Naruto was bound to be like everyone else and leave him, so maybe it was best to push him away before he left. Yes. Maybe it was best to make sure that no one else left him. He'd leave first and that way it would hurt less.

It was getting harder and harder to get up every morning, and Sasuke didn't know how much more he could take. He was getting desperate, and that was probably why he was clutching to Hinata so much. If she left him now. If she left him too, he would really have no one.

He'd already burned his bridges with Naruto, his parent's didn't really care about him, Itachi was locked away, and all the other women he'd been with... well. They'd all left him. If he didn't have Hinata, he would have nothing. Nothing.

But maybe he deserved to be alone.

Maybe he was such a screw up, Kami didn't want him to have anyone. Maybe he was cursed. That was always a possibility, right? Damned to a life of loneliness and pain for an accumulation of his unforgivable sins. That must be it.

Hinata's expectations be damned. He wanted... _needed _a drink, and it was high time he numbed some of this pain. Sasuke slid his hand along his chest, his finger pressing against the dip between his collar bones, and squeezed. That was where the pain was. All across his chest and clawing its way up his throat. It was suffocating him.

He was a terrible person. He didn't deserve to be happy... but he wanted to be. He wanted to just be with Hinata. Somewhere the two of them were alone. He could picture it in his mind.

* * *

_Sasuke is laying on a hammock outside a guesthouse in the Land of Waves. The sea's waves are crashing to the shore just a few metres away, and the sound is as calming as Hinata's breath fanning across his skin._

_Her naked warmth is pressed against his equally bare side, one of her arms draped across his stomach and her cheek resting on his left pectoral muscle. He has his left arm around her, holding her close while his right hand tenderly cups her face, his thumb smoothing her lower lip. She tilts her head to look up at him, and the love in her eyes just about stops his heart._

_"Sasuke," she murmurs, her fingertips tracing light patterns over his chest and abs._

_"Hn?" Sasuke grunts in response, loving the way she looks at him through her lashes._

_"I love you," she says, her voice low, but meaningful, and Sasuke's whole body warms. He smiles tenderly, the tips of his fingers lightly rubbing circles on her bare back._

_"I- I lo-"_

* * *

Sasuke halted the fantasy before his dream self could finish speaking. His heart was racing in his chest, his breathing pattern was erratic and his left side felt unbearably cold. Sasuke rubbed his left arm, clenching his teeth against the emptiness... against his solitary state. What had he really dreamed of saying to her. That he loved her too? He didn't even know what love was. What love felt like.

He wanted hers, though. He wanted her... _someone_ to say that to him and mean it, and he wanted it _so bad. _And he didn't want to share. He didn't want her... _them _to pay attention to anyone else. Especially not Naruto.

But Sasuke didn't want to choose. He didn't want to have to choose. But it seemed that he already had. He'd chosen Hinata. The thing was that even though Naruto had been his best friend, it was hard. It was hard because Naruto was the _only _friend Sasuke had. All the other people he met and conversed with were because of Naruto. They were all _Naruto's _friends. He was just another one of Naruto's friends.

And when surrounded by people drawn to Naruto, he was in turn surrounded by people who cared about who others were on the inside... So that meant that none of Naruto's friends like him. If they heard about this, they would most likely tell Naruto 'good riddance'.

If Sasuke was gay, he would probably choose Naruto... but he wasn't. And Naruto couldn't fulfill the baser needs that he had. Naruto couldn't soothe the aching, burning longing deep inside him. Naruto couldn't complete him the way... the way _Hinata_ could. So he'd chosen. He'd chosen and he hated himself for it.

But at the same time, he wasn't about to change his mind.

He needed her.

But she didn't want him. He should have been more used to this by now. The pain. Everytime he thought of those four words '_She doesn't want me',_ the pain streaked across his chest in bright, neon intensity. It wasn't supposed to be this acute. It was supposed to be dulled by now. He'd thought the very same thought countless times in the past when girls had left him, but it had never felt so... it had never been so... so _much. _It was _too _much.

He needed a drink.

* * *

Hinata slipped from the guest room, the look in Sasuke's eyes plaguing her subconscious. There were so many feelings. So many of them. _Too _many of them. And she couldn't seem to grasp it. She couldn't seem to make sense of them. She couldn't seem to wrap her mind around them or what they meant.

They terrified her.

They wrapped themselves inside her, and they terrified her. They squeezed at her heart and made her question her very existence. They made her question who she really was. They made her question the desires in her heart, and they made what was previously concrete in her soul as loose and unsure as dry sand.

Hinata stepped out into the dark hall, moving as slowly and as quietly as she could. She needed to get out of here. She needed to find a place where she could think. Where she could make sense of all this madness. She needed to find someone that she could talk to, that could help her, because she had no idea which route to take. Hinata bumped into a table in the hall, cringing as the wood made a noise. She stepped to the side before continuing, her steps speeding up as she advanced. She had to get out of here.

Ahead of her she could see the light of the kitchen fanning into the hallway. She was almost out. She just needed to go through that doorway, cross the living room and go out the front door. Then she would be home free.

Hinata looked down for only a second. Only a second. She didn't even have time to look back up before she slammed into something. Something hard and warm.

"Going somewhere?"

Hinata froze at the sound of the masculine voice.

"S-Sasuke-san?" she sputtered, backpedalling immediately and trying to get away. She looked up in shock, seeing the dark look on his face. And then her back was slamming forcefully, but not painfully, into the hall wall.

_"Going somewhere, Hinata?" _he growled, hands gripping her shoulders. Hinata swallowed, panic rising in her chest. She would never get free of him!

"I-I … I was... I was j-just..." she stuttered, not even knowing what she herself was trying to say. He glared down at her from where he stood in front her, his dark eyes boring into her and his hot breath ghosting across her forehead. It smelled distinctly of expensive alcohol. He was looking at her so intensely that Hinata was uncomfortable to the point where she was rendered incapable of even looking at him. She couldn't even face him.

His hands were warm against her shoulders, and she could feel the heat - which radiated from his chest - against her skin. And she could smell that manly, crisp, expensive scent that was just so _Sasuke._

And then it was gone.

Hinata's eyes shot open in surprise to see that he'd stepped away from her, and was looking to the side. The kitchen lights on his face highlighted his furrowed brow.

"...Fine," he said softly. "Go, then." Hinata's breathing quickened. She wasn't sure if she was feeling relief, or panic or... or _regret. _She reached forward to touch his chest with her hand.

"S-Sasuke-" she started, not sure what she was trying to say or why she was trying to say anything, but she just felt that it was something she must do. He stepped back, flinching away from her hand.

"Just go if that is what... if it's what... Just..." Sasuke sighed, moving away from her and stepping further into the darkened hall as he made his way back to his room. Hinata watched his back as he went, feeling a strange hesitancy in her chest. She moved away from the wall, and turned, her head held down and her steps heavy. This was what she wanted. Why then did she feel so bad? A soft, tremulous sigh from the man behind her halted her in her tracks. She had barely heard it, but she _did _hear it, and she could not pretend that she hadn't.

Hinata turned and watched as Sasuke leaned his shoulder against the wall. He looked tired; weary. Worry seated itself in Hinata's gut and before she knew it, she had turned towards him.

"S-Sasuke?" she called, taking one hesitant step in his direction.

"Just go..." Sasuke said shortly. "You love _Naruto _… He... He loves _you _… so go..." Hinata watched his hand curl into a fist against the wall. He confused her. One moment he was asking for a chance, kissing her like his life depended on it, and in another he was pushing her away.

"... How can you... Y-You're so..." Hinata's voice trailed away. She was, once again, incapable of completing her thought, much less her sentence. Sasuke turned sharply, shuttered obsidian eyes focused directly on her.

"I'm so _what?_" he snapped, folding both arms across his chest and scowling at her from his place several paces down the hall. Hinata opened her mouth, but nothing came out. What _could _she say, especially when faced with his somber, dark good looks and his expectant glare?

"_Say. It,"_ he demanded, taking several paces towards her.

"You're so... _alone,_" Hinata whispered, the word finally coming to her head. She'd never seen him with anyone apart from Naruto, and she doubted that that bond was still secure. Sasuke walked right back up to her, chuckling mirthlessly.

"Hn. It helps that I'm a screw-up," he said, as if being humble in the face of excessive praise. "Everyone leaves at some point, or I make them. At some point. I can't help it," he continued, his gaze locked on some random spot on the hall carpet.

"...Sasuke..." Hinata started, feeling pity stir in her stomach. She was far from a social butterfly, but she had _friends. _

"What? _What?...Huh?_" he snapped curtly, taking another step closer to her. "What, Hinata? You keep saying my name, but you're not saying it in the way I want you to. So why don't you just go? You don't _have _to sneak out. The door's open. So why don't you just go?" By this, the was several inches away from her, close enough for her to smell his signature scent.

"S-Sasuke... I..." she began, but his scowl choked off the rest of her words.

"What? You think I'm not used to it? You think you're the first one to want nothing to do with me?" he asked, his voice raising. "You think you're the first to want to leave me... _for Naruto?"_ He looked to the side and scoffed.

"Sasuke, don't-" Hinata started, but was interrupted by Sasuke, who was not yet done talking.

"You're _not. _You're not the first one, and you won't be the last. If you're looking for me to 'measure up'," he said, making finger quotes in the air, "then just _stop. _He can get _anyone_ he wants. _I_ can't. I don't _know _how to be like him; to make people smile. I don't know how to mmfph-"

She kissed him, cutting off his speech.

* * *

She kissed him. Of her own volition. She kissed him.

It took about two seconds for Sasuke to realize what was happening; that she was actually doing this. That her lips were actually pressed to his.

He should really back away, but he had no idea when or if he would ever feel her lips beneath his again, so he gave in. Sasuke reached up with both hands, sliding them against her cheeks until his thumbs lay right before her ears, and his fingers curled around her neck. He tugged her closer, slanting his lips over hers, kissing her hungrily.

Her lips were so warm, soft and wet. They were pliable and willing beneath his, and the thought of that made Sasuke's heart race. He felt as if his chest was filled with warm, clean air, and he could _breathe. _He could truly _breathe._ The panic was no longer suffocating him, and he could just kiss her.

Sasuke slid one hand down to tug her body flush against his, a moan pushing from his throat and into her mouth. He licked the seam of her lips, pleading for entry, and when she gasped, he licked his way into her mouth. Their tongues touched, and that small moment of contact was so exhilarating for Sasuke. It was like all he'd been wishing for, but yet not enough.

She pulled away long before he was satisfied, his fingers still reaching forth, his eyes still shut and his mouth trying desperately to cling to hers. Heavy lidded eyes slid open, and when he spoke, his voice was husky and mystified. He'd never, ever felt like this with anyone before.

"I've... No one's ever... I've never felt... _that _before..." he half moaned before pulling her back against him. "_Don't fight me..._ Just... Just let me..." he murmured when she tried to pull away. He waited only until she relaxed slightly in his hands before pressing his mouth back to hers. A soft sound pushed up his throat, and he was powerless to stop it. He nibbled at her lower lip before sliding his tongue against hers, feeling the soft wet heat of her tongue against his.

A ribbon of heat slithered down from his mouth, eradicating the aching pain in his chest before pooling in his stomach, creating a hunger he knew that only _she _could satisfy. He was done sitting back and watching people leave. This time, he was going to hang on until it killed him. No one could ever say that Uchiha Sasuke gave up.

"You …should have left while... while you had the ...chance," he whispered harshly into Hinata's ear as he breathed in the scent of her warm skin and hair. Her breathing was as erratic as his was, and every time she inhaled, her chest brushed against his.

"Haa...haa... S...Sasuke? Wh-What...?" she gasped, blinking her large grey eyes up at him.

"You should have taken the out I'd given you," Sasuke rasped. "Because there is no way I am letting you escape me now. And that is a promise."

* * *

**Voila! Here is another chapter for you guys! It had a lot of feels, so I hope they translated! Please review and tell me what you thought!**


	7. Escape The Fate

**Glad you guys like this! I have completed the plot for the entire story, and hope to complete it in 15 chapters, so if all goes according to plan, there should be eight more chapters after this one! Let's see if this works!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Escape The Fate**

_Previously, on Another Man's Treasure:_

_"You …should have left while... while you had the ...chance," Sasuke whispered harshly into Hinata's ear as he breathed in the scent of her warm skin and hair. Her breathing was as erratic as his was, and every time she inhaled, her chest brushed against his._

_"Haa...haa... S...Sasuke? Wh-What...?" she gasped, blinking her large grey eyes up at him._

_"You should have taken the out I'd given you," Sasuke rasped. "Because there is no way I am letting you escape me now. And that is a promise."_

* * *

If Sasuke was a lesser man, he could easily have fooled himself into thinking that Hinata was in his house of her own accord. Easily. Of course, he never gave her any reason to hate being there... apart from her usual dislike of him anyway. He never touched her without fair warning, he was never rough, and he never did more than kiss her, even though he sure as hell wanted to.

He did, however, keep her from leaving. And he could tell that she could only take so much more of that. If the constant longing gazing of the outside was any indication. If the perpetual sighing was any indication. If the downward turn to her mouth was any indication. If the way she didn't speak to him unless he forced her to was any indication.

And Sasuke would have let her go. He would have allowed her to go home and pick up her things, her clothing her little trinkets and books... but he was scared.

Petrified.

Sasuke was absolutely terrified that if he let her go home, that if he gave her that small amount of freedom, she would wriggle and struggle until she broke free and left him alone again. Sasuke paused, kitchen knife suspended above the bacon he was cutting into small squares as he heard yet another of her sighs. She was sitting by the window, looking out at the road below, her smaller frame ensconced in one of his dark T-shirts. Sasuke rested the knife down, feeling shame spread across his insides.

It had been a week.

He'd held on to her for a week.

He dropped her to and picked her up from work, having no issues with her family, since it was pretty much decided that they were to wed soon. She was always reluctant, but she wasn't a rebel, so there was pretty much nothing she could do.

"Hinata..." he said softly. It took her a while to turn around, but when she did, Sasuke's heart squeezed as the blankness in the grey orbs.

"Yes?" The word was so soft he almost didn't hear it.

He felt like the monster he was.

"You can... you can go home to get your stuff... if you want." The words squeezed reluctantly out of his throat, and fear squeezed his heart in a vice grip. Sasuke watched the light begin to shine in her eyes with mixed feelings.

On one hand, it was really good to do something that made the light in her eyes shine again... But on the other hand, it made him feel even more alone because the reason her eyes were bright was because she was happy to be free of him for a time. Sasuke suddenly wished he had more to cut, chop, stab... mutilate. He wanted to vent. But he knew the feelings would stay no matter what he did.

That's what he got for taking what he wanted.

"R-Really?" she asked, half-rising from her perch on the couch. "When?" Sasuke clenched his teeth together before responding.

"After breakfast," he said shortly, beginning to slice the bacon with more gusto than was needed. There was a rush of indescribable feelings in his chest... bad feelings that wouldn't go away.

"O-Okay!" she said, sounding the brightest she'd sounded since...Since he'd known her. She _never _spoke to him using that tone, and now that she did... it was because she was getting away from him, if only for a time.

Was his company that bad?

Was he that loathsome a person?

Apparently he was.

Sasuke swallowed the niggling lump in his throat and tried to push his full attention to the breakfast... but his thoughts were filled with Hinata and why she didn't want to stay anywhere near him; why she, like everyone else, wanted to leave.

And like he did every night when he thought about who he was, why he did what he did, and how Hinata... how she reacted, one thing always stayed the same, confusing him more than anything.

She'd been the one to kiss him that night. He hadn't initiated it. She had. Just when he was on the brink of giving up and accepting the reality that he was made to be alone, that he was made to be discarded by everyone who knew him, that it was perhaps his fate that he spend his life in solitude, she'd kissed him.

And she'd made him hope.

And it was so hard to let that hope go. He wanted so very badly for his hope to... for...  
Sasuke winced in pain as the knife sliced through his fingertip.

"Shit," he spat. Before he even knew it, his eyes flickered over to Hinata. Would she care? Would she do anything to feed the hope inside himself that she probably cared about him... even a little? Hinata looked up, saw him holding his finger, but didn't come over to him. Sasuke turned his back before she could see the raw pain coursing through him.

She didn't care.

He should have been used to this by now.

Sasuke clenched his jaw against the burn in his chest and stuck his finger under the kitchen faucet. He tended to his finger, hating himself for believing, for _hoping _that one little _pity _kiss meant anything in the grand scheme of things. And the pain was back in full force, clawing its way up his throat and jaw.

But Sasuke refused to let it out. He refused to let her know how much it pained him to feel alone.

The young Uchiha wrapped his finger with a band-aid, washed off the knife and cleared away the pieces of bacon that might have gotten some of his blood on them. He resumed cutting, training his eyes on the task and not giving in to the _need _to look at Hinata. To see if she was displaying any signs of being concerned about him.

He already knew she didn't. So it would do him no good to look and then be even more sure... because he didn't quite know what he would do with himself otherwise.

Sasuke put the bacon bits to fry, making sure he didn't look at Hinata even once while he did. Not that it made much of a difference, his refusal to look, because her image was implanted in his brain. Still, his heartbeats were slow and heavy, thudding painfully in his chest. Sasuke lifted one hand from the handle of the frying pan and clutched at his chest, trying to distract himself from his pain, his fingers pressing so hard that the crescent imprints of his nails were left in his skin.

Kami, this was excruciating.

If Sasuke thought the pain would fade by the time he ate, it didn't. Even clearing the dishes from the table with Hinata, the hurt was constant... unforgettable. He hadn't been able to look at her for the entire meal, keeping his gaze glued to his plate. He hadn't said anything to her. She hadn't said anything to him. It had been quiet, even more so because she finished eating long before he did.

It was obvious that she wanted to go. And Sasuke ate slower because he wanted her to stay.

"So... I'll drop you there now..." Sasuke said softly, hating how rapt her attention was now that...

"And you can drive back over when you have... enough for the week," Sasuke continued, cutting off his own thoughts. He refused to give in to the sigh that begged for release. Instead, he rinsed the dishes, brushed his teeth and pulled on a shirt before grabbing his keys.

Sasuke tried not to notice how Hinata almost... _bounded _to the car. He couldn't bring himself to look at her the entire way, knowing how increasingly happy she must be the closer she got to her house.

And the fear multiplied.

When Sasuke slowed near the gate to her house, his eyes slid over to her, and his breath caught in his throat because her hand was already on the handle of the door. She was so _eager _to get away. Sasuke snapped his gaze back to the road, taking a deep, quiet breath.

The door was open the moment he stopped the car, and Hinata quickly unclipped her seat belt and slid from the car.

"I'll be... waiting," Sasuke said before she was completely out. She looked back, gave him a small nod, and then shut the car door firmly. Sasuke watched, his hands trembling on the steering wheel as she ran up the drive, and disappeared inside the house when the large front door opened.

He swallowed before putting the car out of park and pulling away.

What if she didn't come back?

* * *

Hinata almost cried from happiness when she saw the inside of her room. She flung herself on her bed, drinking in the scent of her own house and the feel of her own bed. She'd missed her room like never before, and even though she had been away from home for longer than a week before, it had never been against her will.

And she had to leave again.

She couldn't help comparing her room to Sasuke's house. Her room was light purple, and had cheerful yellow ornaments inside it. It was girly, but she liked it that way, and it had a bathroom adjoining it. It was her own perfect space.

The thought occurred to her that she could stay. She could refuse to go back.

Before she could completely immerse herself in her room, there was a sharp rap on the door.

"Yes?" she called a little breathily. She was so happy to be here, she was willing to see anyone. She would just love any break from Sasuke's darkness. The door opened, and her father stepped into her room.

"You are home," Hiashi said, a slight note of disapproval in his tone.

"I... Y-Yes, father," Hinata stuttered. "I c-came home f-for some c-clothing." Hiashi leveled a flat grey gaze at her before nodding.

"Very well, then. Do not keep Uchiha waiting," he said, before leaving the room and shutting the door firmly behind him.

She couldn't stay here.

This time, Hinata let herself cry.

* * *

It had been five hours since he'd dropped her at her house, and Sasuke knew every single detail about his front door.

He'd been staring at it for hours.

She wasn't coming back, was she? The fear was beyond suffocating. It choked him. His hope taunted him; mocked him. Every time he heard a car, he found himself moving to look, only to be disappointed when it wasn't her. After the fifteenth car, he found himself just listening... listening and hoping. And his hope was still crushed every time the car passed his gate, the sound of its engine getting softer as it drove away.

After a while, he'd fallen asleep.

Which is why he almost fell off the sofa when someone knocked on the door. Sasuke's heart was in his throat when he got up. Did he dare hope that it was Hinata? Sasuke moved as slowly as he dared, and opened the door. His obsidian gaze met a light grey one.

She was back.

He let her in, turning his face slightly away so that she didn't see the expression on his face. He felt like he could hardly breathe. He had been expecting her to stay away - he realized that now. And now that she was back, he had no idea what to do with himself. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know if he should let himself hope.

He grabbed her hand as she passed, letting his fingers slide down the smooth skin so he could take her heavy bag for her. He lifted it from her hands, tuning and carrying it for her to the room he'd given her. She followed wordlessly behind him.

When the handle of the heavy bag left his fingers, Sasuke turned to face her. He took a step towards her, carefully watching to see her response to his approach. He took her chin in his hand and lifted it, dipping his head slowly to kiss her. His dark eyes darted over her face, watching for any sign that would tell him whether or not she was receptive or not. When she flinched and turned her face slightly away, Sasuke let his hand slide from her face. It dropped limply to his side before his fingers curled into a fist.

The disappointment was like a kick to his chest.

He stepped away slightly, his eyes taking in the... _bitterness _in her eyes when she raised her gaze to his.

"Welcome back," he found himself sneering before he stalked away from her and went for a drink. He paused outside the doorway when he heard her sigh. She didn't know he was still there, so she probably wasn't talking to him, but her words were still like daggers when Sasuke heard them.

"...Father made me..."

* * *

Two more weeks had passed that Hinata was with Sasuke. She was lying to Ino, acting as if everything was fine, because she didn't want her friend to get involved in this mess too. She didn't want Ino offering her remedies she would be too weak to act on. She still hadn't responded to Naruto.

The blonde had not ceased to message her, but she couldn't bring herself to respond. It would be like torture, seeing him, speaking to him when she knew that she couldn't have him. Sasuke and her father would see to that.

Hinata angrily flung her clothing into the bag. He'd been letting her out of his house every few days to come home and get more stuff, but even then he was like a prison warden, calling ahead 'so Hiashi would be expecting her'. The way Hinata saw it, it translated as 'so you can't escape me'.

She should never have kissed him.

Hinata groaned, tears stinging her eyes. She was so foolish. So, so foolish. He'd looked so wounded, confessing his solitude, that she'd just... acted on instinct. It was a good thing she hadn't let her instinct take her away again when he'd cut his hand two weeks before. She had felt his eyes on her, she knew he saw her looking at him, but then he'd turned sharply away from her and tended to his injury himself before her conscience could kick in and make her attend to him.

The sound of an old motor outside had Hinata's heart clenching in misery as the memory of Naruto and his battered pickup. The time she'd spent with him had just been the absolute best.

She missed him.

Hinata was in an all out bawl by then, her sobs so loud they drowned out the sound of voices downstairs. The thought that someone could hear her had Hinata resorting to burying her face in one of her pillows to muffle the sounds. It wasn't as if Sasuke was a horrible roommate. He cleaned up after himself, he cooked, he washed. She only had to take care of her things. But Sasuke's house was like a barren wasteland. And it was worse when he attempted to show some sort of affection and all Hinata could feel inside herself was bitterness.

She no longer gave into his attempts to kiss her, and refused to let him touch her if she could help it. She knew that he felt bad sometimes, but... but it was torture for her there. Every moment away from Naruto who she wanted to be with, and who she was certain wanted to be with her too, was torture. Sasuke had yanked her away from her love, and threatened it, so she didn't feel even one stab to her conscience that she refused to like him.

She couldn't make herself like him.

To be honest, the longer she stayed there, the more of Naruto's messages that she read and couldn't respond to, _the more she despised Uchiha Sasuke._

Hinata wiped her eyes, missing Naruto so much she could hear his raspy voice calling her name in her head.

Sounded so real, too.

The voices outside her room had risen to an all out argument, and then there was a loud slam of a door, then silence.

Hinata gave a shaky sigh and reached for the blouse she'd been folding. She continued with her packing, her hands listless.

Hinata heard something at the window, the sound frightening her, especially when tanned fingers pushed it up and open. Before Hinata could even scream, Naruto was tumbling head first into her room.

* * *

"Long time no see... or hear," Naruto said after righting himself on Hinata's bedroom floor. She looked shocked to see him. "What," he chuckled. "They don't call me a knucklehead for nothing. You really thought I would give up just because you didn't respond to any of my messages?" the blonde continued, grinning at the dark haired woman before him.

He stood and walked over to the shell-shocked female, slapping large palms firmly to her small shoulders.

"Where have you been? Every time I come here, your sister or your dad says that you are 'out', and you always seem to actually be gone. So where have you been?" Naruto asked, his tone filled with concern as he looked down into her face. He watched her take in a shaky breath, before she was sobbing, and launching herself at him.

Naruto caught her easily as she flung her arms around him and sobbed into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his bulky arms around her, folding her into his expansive chest and letting her cry. His heart ached for her. What had she been through to make her body shake like this as she wailed? What had Sasuke done?

"Hey... don't do this to me, Hinata-chan," Naruto croaked, feeling his throat close up. Kami, he had missed this woman. He tightened his arms around her and buried his face into her neck, feeling hot tears sting his eyes.

"I... I m-missed you N-Naruto-k-kun!" she gasped against his skin.

"I missed you too," Naruto whispered back, pulling back his head so that he could crush his lips to hers.

Her response was immediate, and Naruto felt like he was in heaven. Her lips parted even before his did, and Naruto gave in easily to what she was asking of him. He'd dreamed of this moment, of seeing her again, and the actual thing made the dream pale in comparison. It made all his determination worth it.

Her mouth was hot and wet, and Naruto had to consciously pace himself so that their kiss would remain soft and gentle. It stayed that way, their tongues sliding sweetly against each other's, hands sliding up and down each other's backs, hot breath mingling and small moans filling their ears like music.

Then Naruto's feet were moving of their own accord, and he had her up against the door of her room in seconds. He bent slightly, lifting her up against him so he didn't have to crane his neck to reach her. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and their kiss broke when he hoisted her upwards and she gasped.

"N-Naruto-kun," she gasped, lips damp and face flaming. Naruto only grinned before crushing her lips with his.

This kiss was nothing near gentle.

* * *

Hinata had been _so_ wrong.

She had to admit that now.

Naruto's kiss was _just _as eloquent as Sasuke's had been. He only had different emotions to express. When his tongue swept over hers to explore her mouth, Hinata was still unable to decipher exactly what was being conveyed. But whereas Sasuke's kiss had made her ache inside, Naruto's kiss made her feel like she could _fly. _It was like her body lost all its weight, like gravity had no effect on her, and the scent of the man before her filled her senses and made her cry.

With happiness.

Then she was kissing back just as ferociously as he was. Their moans were no longer soft; in fact, the sounds had begun to penetrate the haze in Hinata's head that she hadn't even realized was there.

Her heart was racing in her chest, but it was the type of racing that made her feel like she could do anything.

Too soon Naruto was pulling away, his heart racing just as fast as hers was, his skin just as hot as hers was, his breathing just as unsteady, his eyes just as dark, his fingers gripping her just as tightly as she was gripping him.

They were on the same page.

Naruto reluctantly let her down, her back sliding against the wood of the door.

"Now, you gonna tell me where you been?" Naruto rasped, blinking rapidly in an effort to clear his eyes and head. Hinata knew this because she was doing the same thing.

"I was... at Sasuke's house," she breathed, grey eyes locking onto bright cerulean. "I w-was coming over.. t-to see you b-but he s-saw me... and..."

"How long were you there?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes darkening. His broad shoulders stiffened, muscles rippling beneath his black T-shirt.

"About th-three w-weeks now," Hinata stuttered, unable to meet Naruto's eyes.

"You were coming to see me three weeks ago? You tried to... I _knew it,"_ Naruto said, eyes flicking up to the roof as he slammed his fist into an open palm. "Wait..." he said, eyes dropping back to hers. "Did you... you and Sasuke, uh..." he sputtered, face reddening.

"No!" Hinata exclaimed, hand reaching out so her fingers could curl over Naruto's brawny forearm. "No..." she repeated, more quietly. "We kissed... several times... but...I only want to... with... with you..." she managed, face heating up to epic proportions.

Naruto's face brightened, and he chuckled. Then his face fell.

"You kissed him... where does that leave us? I mean... I'd hate to have you kiss him.. more than... than you kiss me..." Naruto muttered under his breath, actively pouting. It was the cutest thing Hinata had ever seen... and it was kinda hot too!

She giggled.

"We... can... I can... make it up to you...?" she suggested, before her face fell. She had to go back to Sasuke's house soon.

"Hinata? What is it?" Naruto asked, large warm hands reaching forward to cup her face. It was surprising how gentle the large, calloused hand of a construction worker could be.

"I... h-have to go back there... He w-won't let me leave..." Hinata whimpered, unable to look at Naruto. When she did, his eyes were so dark they were almost black.

"He's keeping you there... against your will?" the blonde asked, light brows pulling together. The expression on his face could only be described as thunderous, and considering his sunny hair and sky-like eyes, it was an apt description.

"H-Hai... W-Well... my f-father makes me g-go back... Sasuke always... c-calls so that he kn-knows I'm h-here... and my f-father calls b-back when I l-leave..." Hinata whimpered, tears spilling from her eyes as she relayed the information to Naruto. He pulled her against his chest.

"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Naruto whispered, obviously trying as best he could to understand the situation. Hinata shook her head against his warm pectorals, unable to do so much as speak.

"Damn that selfish bastard," Naruto growled. "You can stay with me. No pressure or anything. You can just hide out at mine if you like... until you sort out what you wanna do... I mean... I wanna be with ya too, Hinata, but I'll take myself from the table if my interests put you under too much pressure... I mean..." he faltered, as if he _really _didn't want to say what he just said, and Hinata didn't mind that.

"I want you on the t-table..." she said in a tiny voice, both of them chuckling slightly at the innuendo. Naruto tenderly wiped the tears from Hinata's eyes, his coarse thumbs more soothing than anything else Hinata had ever felt.

"So what d'you say, Hinata? Want to give ol' Sasuke the slip and come with me?" Naruto asked softly, looking deeply into Hinata's eyes.

* * *

**Woohoo! Thought this was gonna be shorter! Welcome back Naruto, ne, for all the NaruHina shippers. Whatever will happen NAOO? *teehee I already know, so I'm just teasing* Let the freakin' drama begin! And please do check out my other stuff if you haven't already. I suggest:**

**The Continency Plan**

**The Phone Call and Helpline**

**I Wish You Would Look at Me and**

**The Confession**

**For more SasuHina goodness! **

* * *

**Please, let the reviews come forth!**

**Unbetaed, because I have to attend to RL stuffs!**


End file.
